Perfect Timing: Return of the Storm
by heychelseamay
Summary: It has been five years since the death of Max Caulfield's bestfriend, Chloe Price, and the death of Chloe's girlfriend, Rachel Amber. As Max continues to live her life, an unexpected and strange adventure begins in Arcadia Bay, Oregon.
1. Chapter One

**Notes:**

I am a HUGE fan of _Life is Strange 1_ and its prequel, _Before the Storm_! If you played both games, we have seen the canon relationships between Max and Chloe as well as Rachel and Chloe. We have seen their stories, and according to the developers of the _Life is Strange_ franchise, their stories have been completed. (Or are they?)

I have always wanted to create a story where Max and Rachel are the main characters while also revealing my theory about the true purpose of their powers: Max's time-rewinding powers and Rachel's powers of her controlling the wind and fire—or nature in general. In this fan fiction, I will also write about how all three girls who we know and love are connected in a supernatural way. With that said, I hope you all enjoy this story!

 **Chapter One**

" _NOBODY WOULD EVER EVEN MISS YOUR PUNK ASS, WOULD THEY?!"_

" _GET THAT GUN AWAY FROM ME, PSYCHO!"_

 _BANG!_

Max woke up with a jolt. Her eyes shot wide open, her breathing a bit labored. She felt her heart beating hard and fast. She looked around. She was still on the plane. She sat up on her seat and rubbed her neck. It was stiff and ached slightly.

" _I... I was just dreaming,"_ Max thought.

Max will never forget that terrible moment. She will always remember sitting on the floor of the girls' bathroom, hearing the anger in Nathan's voice, the panic in Chloe's, and the echoing sound of the gun that shot and killed her best friend five years ago. She remembered doing nothing about it… There was nothing she could do to save Chloe… because saving her was not meant to be…

Max held her breath, relieved that she was not at Blackwell Academy or at the moment of Chloe's death. Every time Max dreamt about her past, she panicked, worried that she had reversed time again, something she has not done in five years—and promised to never try to do ever again. Max wondered if she even still had her time-rewinding powers…

She exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. She looked out the window. Clouds floated below, slowly drifting away as the plane flew in the atmosphere. In between the clouds, she saw the many acres of the forests of Oregon below. The sun looked to be setting.

" _The plane should be landing soon,"_ she thought.

Max rubbed her eyes and yawned. She tried to stretch her arms and legs as best as she could. It was not easy to stretch while on an airplane. She ran her fingers through her short, brown hair that almost touched her shoulders. She took her cellphone out from her coat's pocket to check the time. She glanced at her phone's screen.

 _5:42 PM. Friday, October 5, 2018._

She looked at her phone's background photo. It was an old photo from about a decade ago. It was a scanned photo of two smiling tween girls in pirate costumes. One was wearing a pirate hat and the other was wearing an eyepatch. It was young Chloe and Max aka Captain Chloe Bluebeard and Max Longsilver. They looked happy.

Max smiled and traced her thumb over Chloe's hair on the screen of her phone.

" _I miss you so much, Chloe,"_ Max said to herself. _"See you soon."_

Max thought about how Chloe would react while on an airplane. Would she have been scared? Or would she be excited? Would she pretend that she was on a rocket ship launching into space? Max knew that Chloe's parents, Joyce and William, were planning to take Chloe to see the Grand Canyon years ago. She remembered seeing the plane tickets at Chloe's house, but they never went because William had died that same year…

The plane landed with the usual rumble and shaking, a feeling that Max has gotten used to. It saddened Max to know that Chloe had died so young, only nineteen years old, and never been on a plane, never traveled the world like she has, and never even left Arcadia Bay…

Max travels a lot. If she was not back in Los Angeles, California where she lived, she flew out to many areas in the U.S. and even out of the country for many photo shoots and photography projects. She was a 23-year-old well-known professional photographer who landed many gigs. She met and photographed many celebrities, musicians, models, politicians, and even photographed wild animals all around the world. But every year, around the time Chloe passed away five years ago, Max flies back home to Arcadia Bay in Oregon to visit Joyce and David, Chloe's step-father… and to visit Chloe too.

The plane taxied to the terminal.

Max grabbed her carry-on bags from the overhead compartment—which carried clothes to last her a few days and two cameras: an analog Polaroid camera and a Canon DSLR. Throughout the years, she had grown to enjoy digital photography. She laughed to herself realizing how silly and "hipster" she sounded for claiming that she only wanted to work with old school analog cameras and only took Polaroid photos or developed them herself. That was when she was much younger and inexperienced. Within the past years, she realized how much digital cameras were widely used and required for many of her projects.

" _The future is now,"_ Max thought. She smiled at how dorky that sounded.

Her friend Victoria Chase—someone she did not see herself befriending—gave Max her very first DSLR as a gift a few years ago. Victoria taught Max how to use a digital camera and which lens attachments were perfect for different distances and varied shots. In exchange, Max taught Victoria how to take Polaroids with better composition, lighting, utilizing foreground, and other techniques without digital editing. Both girls were talented professional photographers who often worked together. Max's Polaroid camera was what she used mainly for fun and to take photos for her keepsake.

" _I always wonder what you would say if you found out that Victoria and I are friends now, Chloe,"_ Max thought and chuckled to herself. _"She's not as bitchy as before."_

Max made her way out of the plane, out of the terminal, and toward the ride service pick-up area outside of the Seaside Municipal Airport. She hopped on an Uber and was taken to the Price household—now the Madsen household—in Arcadia Bay.

Max looked out the window of the car driving on Route 101. On her right, she could see the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, and on her left, she could see endless trees of the Oregon forests. The waves created a white, foamy line on the sandy beach, and the trees were so green. Some of the leaves on trees were orange and red, turning colors during this autumn season. Between the two beautiful views, Max saw a distinct lighthouse on top of a cliff indicating that she was approaching closer to Arcadia Bay. She was starting to feel the combination of sadness and happiness, the feelings she feels when she thinks about home and about Chloe.

After a half an hour, the car arrived on the driveway of the Madsen house. Max thanked the driver, exited the car, and slung her bag strap on her shoulder. She looked at the familiar light blue and off-white house where Chloe grew up. This was the house where Max spent a few days every year. Joyce and David never minded when Max stayed with them for a few days.

Max rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door opened. A middle-aged woman with light brown hair stood at the doorway. It was Joyce. She held her arms open and hugged Max tightly.

"Oh, Max!" Joyce exclaimed, slightly choking up. Tears of joy were forming in her eyes. "It's always so good to see you! Please come in!"

Max hugged Joyce, but not as tightly as Joyce did. She did not want to hurt Joyce… or the baby. Max glanced at Joyce's belly. Her belly was protruding and she looked very pregnant!

"Holy cow, Mrs. Price—uh, I mean, Mrs. Madsen!" Max said, slightly embarrassed but very politely. She chuckled. "Uh, I mean, I don't mean to call you a cow! You look amazing! You look ready to give birth!"

"Max! I told you that you can stop calling me 'Mrs.'" Joyce responded, gently patting her belly. "Call me 'Joyce.' And yes, I am ready to push this thing out! It's happening next week, as the doctor says!"

" _You're going to be a big sister, Chloe!"_ Max thought. _"I wonder if she will look like you…"_

Max remembered receiving a copy of Joyce's ultrasound photo half a year ago in the mail. Joyce and David were extremely happy to announce that they were going to have a child together! Max had called Joyce immediately after she opened the envelope to see the ultrasound photo.

Max knew that Joyce wanted to wait sometime before trying to get pregnant. The death of Chloe, her first and only child at the time, really broke Joyce's heart. Joyce was not the same woman, but David took care of her and supported her through her struggle. But now, after Joyce became emotionally and psychologically healthy again, they were ready to start a family of their own _"before it's too late for my old self to make a baby again,"_ Max remembered Joyce saying while chuckling over the phone.

"—There she is!" a booming voice was heard from the hallway. A middle-aged man with black hair and a mustache made his way toward Max and Joyce. It was David.

"Hi, Mr. Madsen!" Max said. She stood straighter and shook David's hand, who then pulled her in a strong hug. No matter how many times she stayed over Chloe's house, she was always slightly nervous around David. Even though David has become less of a _"dictator dickhead_ " as Chloe would say, Max always felt that she was near an Army drill sergeant and needed to stay out of his way or he would lecture her until her ears bled.

David kissed Joyce on the cheek and squat so that he was eye-level with Joyce's belly. He gently placed his hands on Joyce's protruding stomach.

"Hello, little lady! Say 'hi' to your Auntie Max!" David said, smiling. "She's here to visit you! Isn't that sweet of her?" His voice was slightly a higher pitch, something Max thought was very uncharacteristic of him. He started making baby noises and kissed Joyce's belly repetitively. Max couldn't help but snicker.

"Hey now! Get up and quit it!" Joyce chuckled, playfully messing David's hair. "The baby isn't even born yet and you're already embarrassing the hell out of her!"

Max thought how strange but wonderful it was that she had gotten so close to Joyce and David after Chloe's death, yet she never told them that she was in the bathroom at the time when Nathan shot Chloe. Max had hid in the far end of the bathroom. She heard their argument, the gunshot, the sound of David's worried voice trying to revive Chloe, and sound of David arresting Nathan while he struggled…

Max could not bring herself to tell Joyce and David that she had been there when Chloe died. They would have questioned if she even tried to call for help or tried to defend herself and Chloe from Nathan… or tried to save Chloe's life…

Max worried that Joyce would have disliked her for being the one who survived instead of her daughter… But Max figured Joyce would not be the type of person to guilt-trip Max by blaming Chloe's death on her.

Still, she could not and did not want to give any indication as to why she was in the bathroom in the first place… that she was actually there to save Chloe initially… but had used her time-rewind powers to let Chloe die to save Arcadia Bay from a destructive tornado… Max did not plan on telling anyone about her time-rewind powers anytime soon.

Max remembered sitting at the kitchen table with Joyce and David the day after Chloe died. She visited their house to give Joyce her condolences. It was the first time she had seen Joyce since she moved back to Arcadia Bay. She felt guilty having been in Arcadia Bay since the school year started and not even visiting the Price's house. The last time she saw Joyce, Joyce was crying over William's death. And then the next time she saw Joyce, she was crying over Chloe's death…

David, now remembering that Max was standing there, cleared his throat and lowered his voice, trying to act serious. He stood up and offered a hand to Max. "Ahem. Here! Let me get your things, Max!"

"Oh. No, thank you, Mr. Madsen. I don't have much with me to carry," Max kindly replied. "I'll be fine."

"You can make yourself at home as always, Max," Joyce smiled, motioning her hand up the stairs toward Chloe's room. "Get yourself settled and I'll be wrapping up in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes!"

"Shall I help you prep the table?" Max asked.

"Oh, no. Don't worry about it," Joyce replied. "You're our guest! We'll be alright here."

"Just keep an eye out for raccoons," David said sternly, almost half-joking.

"Raccoons?" Max asked, confused and slightly smiling at the strange thought.

"Yeah, we don't always go inside… uh… Chloe's room," David said, feeling a bit awkward to say Chloe's name. "But we thought we heard some noises in there about an hour ago. Last week we heard the same noises. We found a raccoon on the roof right outside her window trying to climb through! It's not often that they visit our house."

"David, you're worrying the poor girl," Joyce said and smiled at Max. "None of them have actually gotten into our house, though, Max. Typical Oregon wildlife. You'll be fine up there, right?"

"Yes, thank you," Max replied. "I will."

Joyce and David walked back to the kitchen while Max made her way upstairs. Max could hear them singing together happily and the sound of the cooking pan sizzling whatever delicious meal Joyce was cooking.

No matter how many times she walked up and down those stairs in the last five years, Max could never stop feeling her heart sink. She traced the railing with her hand. She recalled the times when she and Chloe pretended to rock climb or pretended to be on a pirate ship on those stairs.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she looked to her right where Chloe's bedroom door was. She placed her hand on the doorknob and held her breath. She closed her eyes shut from the sting of tears forming, and turned the doorknob.

" _This never gets easy,"_ Max thought. _"It'll always be tough being in your room again… knowing you're not actually inside..."_

She opened the door and entered Chloe's room. She exhaled.

It looked the same as always, for the most part. The floor was less cluttered and there lacked any old soda cans, clothes, or old food containers lying around—which was hard to miss in this room five years ago. But the same posters, photos, graffiti, and furniture were still in place. Max sighed a sad and happy sigh.

" _Whether it's from the many cigarettes and weed that you smoked in here or not…"_ Max thought, laughing to herself. _"Even after all these years… it still smells like you."_

She felt a small tear roll down her eye. She quickly wiped it away and placed her bag and camera bag on the floor by her bed.

Max glanced around Chloe's room. She smiled painfully. She knew that Joyce and David rarely went in Chloe's room or touched her belongings. They wanted to preserve it as best as they could, but they always made sure everything in her room was dusted, that there were no pests if any, and that the bed sheets were washed whenever Max came to visit.

" _There's the American flag at the window,"_ Max thought. _"And your photo collage, your shelves, your dresser, your desk, your closet... Your room is not as messy as you kept it, but it's like you never left, Chloe…"_

Except, there was something different.

Max noticed several boxes on the floor by the door. She stepped closer to get a better look. There was a plain box of an unassembled wooden crib, more plain boxes of baby clothes, toys, diapers, and colorful decorations. She knew for several months now that Joyce and David were having a baby, but she never thought about where the baby would stay. She figured in their bedroom with them for now. The thought only occurred to her just then that they would make use of Chloe's room instead…

Max felt her heart shoot up in her throat. She quickly looked away from the baby items. She bit her lip. Tears rolled down her cheek. She let out a soft sob and buried her face in one hand while holding her aching chest with the other. She lowered herself and sat on Chloe's bed.

Max could not handle the thought of Chloe's room being rearranged. It saddened her imagining the room being empty… She recalled the way Chloe's room looked in the alternate universe where Chloe was in a wheelchair. Chloe's new room was in the garage and her old room was emptied and had boxes lying around. It was used mostly for storage. Max remembered leaving that alternate universe, saddened that Chloe was physically disabled… and knowing that Chloe's father was meant to die… just like Chloe was meant to die too…

Max looked around Chloe's bedroom again. Memories of her and Chloe playing in this room ran through her mind. She remembered doing homework in this room, drawing comic books about superheroes with each other, dancing and singing with the music on, when they played dress-up, when Chloe made a little stick of dynamite to blow up Chloe's old Barbie Doll toys… and even where Chloe dared Max to kiss her… something that happened in an alternate universe...

She ran her hands on Chloe's bed sheets. She remembered spending the night together, sleeping side by side on this bed… where Max took a selfie of her and Chloe in the morning moments after they woke up. All the memories in this room filled Max's heart with joy, but knowing that this room will never be the same anymore made Max's heart sting in pain and her whole body weak.

Tears dripped from Max's eyes. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was beating hard and achingly. She was trying to muffle her sobs.

" _This room is the only place where my happiest memories are,"_ Max thought. She wished Chloe was there to hold her. She wanted to embrace Chloe and feel her body pressed against hers in comfort. She wanted to hear Chloe's voice… to kiss her lips…

Max was now lying down curled up on Chloe's bed, sobbing. She clasped her hands over her mouth and shut her eyes. Tears fell onto the pillow, creating a small damp area.

"Oh Chloe… Being with you is the only place in this world where I am home…" Max said out loud.

"…Same here," a voice responded a moment after.

"What the fuck?!" Max exclaimed, her voice croaky.

Max heard the voice coming from inside Chloe's closet. It was a woman's voice. She immediately sat up and looked at the door of Chloe's closet. Her heart skipped a beat and she was terrified.

"Who the fuck is there?!" Max raised her voice, panicked. She wondered if Joyce and David heard her, but she heard the two of them still singing and laughing downstairs as they cooked.

Max stood up from the bed and grabbed an empty ashtray on the nightstand by the bed, the only "weapon" near her. She hoped that she did not have to use it. The door of Chloe's closet opened slowly.

A young woman walked out of Chloe's closet. She seemed to be as tall as Max. Max noticed that she looked to be about her age. The woman had been looking at the floor as she exited the closet. She looked up at Max and smiled nervously.

It was then that Max recognized who the woman was. Max knew where she had seen the woman before. She had seen her photo on "missing person" posters all around Arcadia Bay five years ago. The woman had the same long, dark blond hair and hazel eyes. She was as beautiful and stunning in person as she was in the posters.

"You're…" Max gasped softly in disbelief. "…Rachel Amber?!"

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes:**

Thank you to everyone who is giving this a read and to those who have favorited it! I means a lot since I am quite new to writing fan fiction! I will update this as often as I can with a new chapter—hopefully once or every other week! I will also read through and correct any grammar and spelling errors of the current chapters too. But for the most part, the story will be the same. Thanks again for reading! Hello to all the _Life is Strange_ fans out there!

 **Chapter Two**

"…And you must be… Max? Max Caulfield? Nice to meet you!" Rachel said sheepishly. She awkwardly held her hand out to shake Max's. "I recognize you from Chloe's photos of you and her."

Max was speechless. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open, shocked.

"Uh, were you crying?" Rachel asked softly.

Max was frozen where she stood. She could not believe that she was looking right at Rachel Amber. Surely, this could not be real. She held out her hand to shake Rachel's, but she held out the empty ashtray instead.

"Uhhh, okay. I guess I'll take that from you," Rachel said awkwardly. She took the ashtray from Max's hand and placed it on Chloe's dresser by the closet. "Are you… okay? I'm sorry if I startled you."

Max dried her eyes and rubbed them, trying to wake herself up as if she was asleep and dreaming. She looked away from Rachel, closed her eyes, and looked back at Rachel hoping that she was only imagining her.

Rachel still stood in front of her.

" _This can't be real,"_ Max thought. _"This must be an alternate universe and I'm stuck…"_

Max gulped and shook her head to collect her thoughts before she spoke.

"But... I-I don't understand. Rachel?" Max stammered. "You... you're dead! You died f-five years ago! How is this... possible?"

"Dead? How did you get that idea?" Rachel said confused. She looked slightly nervous. "Let's just say that… I ran away from Arcadia Bay."

"We... I mean... th-they found your body!" Max responded. Her voice was shaky with shock. "The police found your missing body buried in the junkyard! Your clothes and... and…"

"I don't know where you're getting this information from," Rachel responded worriedly, but trying to act casual. "That definitely wasn't me… whoever it was…"

Max could see that Rachel had a slightly shocked look on her face.

"Missing, yeah," Rachel continued. "Dead, definitely not."

" _Are you seeing this, Chloe?!"_ Max thought. _"Rachel is fucking alive!"_

For one, thing Max could not believe that Rachel was actually alive, but it was another thing that Rachel did not know that she was registered as a missing person AND supposedly dead. Max's face lit up with an idea.

She walked to Chloe's desk, opened one of her drawers, and rummaged through a stack of papers until she found the one she was looking for. She grabbed it and held a wrinkled piece of paper in front of Rachel.

"Look!" Max said, pointing at a "missing person" flyer with Rachel's face and information on it. "You were missing! Chloe… Chloe made these. She was looking for you!"

Rachel took the piece of paper and skimmed through it. She sighed.

"She really did try to look for me, didn't she?" Rachel asked. She looked down, almost ashamed. She paced around the room with her back toward Max's. "Fuck… I should have tried to come back…"

"Where h-have you been?" Max asked, very flustered. Her hands were still shaking. "Did you not know that you were missing? D-did you think people were just going to forget about you?"

"…Look, I'd love to chitchat about myself," Rachel said. She turned around and looked at Max. "But I just got here like an hour ago looking for Chloe. I was planning on waiting until she'd come home so I can surprise her."

" _Looking for… Chloe?"_ Max thought nervously. _"Does… does she not know that you're dead?"_

"How?" Max asked. She was no longer crying and her face no longer felt hot. She felt faint and light-headed. "Joyce and David didn't tell me you were in Chloe's room! Just raccoons!"

"Raccoons?" Rachel asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Forget about it," Max said. "Where have you been? How did you get here?"

"I snuck in through the window. Been chilling in the closet for a while, I nearly fell asleep," Rachel pointed at the window by the desk. "I climbed the roof and opened the window and—Voilà! I used to do it all the time to spend the night with Chloe."

"Geez…" This time, Max paced around the room and rubbed her neck. "So, you're actually alive as fuck… Joyce and David don't know you're here… You're back in Arcadia Bay—back from hiding from wherever-the-fuck you've been… did anyone recognize you?"

"I'll explain later," Rachel said. She sighed. "Seriously, it's not a huge deal. Just some hella fucked-up choices I made as a dumb 18-year-old… So, where is Chloe?"

Max looked at Rachel. She really wished Rachel would explain herself better. She wondered if she should admit to Rachel that Chloe had been dead for five years… Her legs began to feel weak and her heart was pounding hard in her chest.

" _It hurts just thinking about how you're gone,"_ Max said in her head. _"I can't imagine how hurt Rachel will be when I tell her…"_

Before Max could respond, Rachel continued with her thought.

"It seems like she doesn't live here anymore. Her room is too clean. I bet she moved out—Is that why you're crying?" Rachel said, looking around Chloe's room not stopping to let Max speak. "I mean, I guess it makes sense that you missed her since you totally ditched her to Seattle when her dad died. Who knows how long it's been since you've seen Chloe?"

Rachel glanced out the window, looking below at the driveway. "Damn it! I don't see her truck in the front. I wanted to surprise her."

Max panicked. She was starting to believe that she was in an alternate universe again… or that one of the universes collided with the present universe… It was the only explanation as to why Rachel was still alive, she thought.

Max's thoughts were jumbled in her head. She was barely recovering from crying, she was shocked to see Rachel alive in the flesh, and now Rachel is asking questions that Max was not sure how to answer.

But Max knew one thing for sure. She realized just from what Rachel was saying, Rachel did not know that Chloe was dead… Her heart raced contemplating how to tell Rachel.

"You wouldn't have surprised her, Rachel!" Max said frustrated, almost ready to cry again. "You would have _freaked_ her out!—This… this whole time you're supposed to be dead! But here you are, actually fucking alive!"

"I would have had a good explanation." Rachel said nonchalantly. "Now tell me where Chloe is."

Max felt angry toward Rachel. She wanted to slap her or scream at her and tell her how selfish and horrible she was. Max wanted to tell Rachel about how much Chloe was hurting trying to look for Rachel—how hard she tried to look for her and how much she missed her. But here Rachel was, alive, and acting like running away from Arcadia Bay—from Chloe—was not a big fucking deal. As if Chloe would just easily forgive Rachel for leaving her…

" _Rachel would feel so dumb and regretful when she finds out you're dead, Chloe,"_ Max thought.

Max balled her fists tightly and took a deep breath trying to calm down, trying very hard not to have a meltdown or choke Rachel. As much as she wanted to tell Rachel off, she knew that she had to tell her where Chloe really was…

"She's…" Max said softly, ready to tell Rachel. "It's complicated and—"

"—Max!" Joyce's voice was heard from the kitchen downstairs. "Dinner is ready! I know you're hungry!"

Max looked at Rachel. Her heart skipped a beat. She grew more nervous than she already was.

"Oh, sweet! Dinner time!" Rachel said, happily walking toward the door. "You can tell me during dinner. I can't wait to see the look on Joyce's and David's faces when I surprise—"

"—No! Wait!" Max stood in front of Rachel. "Y-You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be _dead_! They could recognize you! Think of what they will think about having supposedly-dead-Rachel-fucking-Amber at their house! You need to stay here! Get back in the closet!"

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say to someone who's queer," Rachel scoffed.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Max said.

"So what if they thought I'm dead? I'll just tell them I ran away and went missing—like you said," Rachel said. "They will tell the authorities, the police will tell my parents, and we can all have one big fucked-up family reunion! That'll be hella awkward—"

"—Max! Hey, kiddo, it's dinner time!" David's voice was heard from the kitchen. Max looked at Rachel with pleading eyes.

"This is a really complicated situation. You can't just come back from being missing for five years and pretend like nothing changed," Max said. Despite feeling panicked, she calmed down trying to handle the situation. "Please, Rachel… Stay in this room for now. We'll think of a plan. We have a lot of talking to do later."

Max looked up at Rachel. Her heart ached for Rachel. She predicted that it was not going to go well when she finally told Rachel about Chloe…

" _I'm so sorry, Rachel,"_ Max thought. She felt her throat constrict. _"I'm so sorry that you never got to say goodbye to Chloe…_ "

Rachel sighed. She figured that if she was meeting Chloe's best friend, she might as well get along with Max. "Fine… But what if I'm hungry too? Can't I have some dinner?"

"I'll bring some up," Max said, relieved that Rachel was cooperating. "Just… stay here, okay? I'll be back. I… I promise."

Max stood at the doorway of Chloe's room. Before she closed the door, she took a long glance inside, as if it would be the last time she'd see it in its current state. She looked at Rachel and something inside her gave her the urge to do what she was about to do.

She tip-toed slightly and embraced Rachel tightly. She wrapped her arms tightly around her. Rachel hugged Max back.

"Nice to meet you too, Rachel," Max finally said to Rachel. She felt her heart ache and her eyes almost water. She tried her best to smile at Rachel, and she closed the door behind her.

" _Please don't do anything stupid, Rachel,"_ Max thought.

She took deep breaths while walking down the stairs toward the kitchen. She wondered if Joyce and David would notice that she had been crying.

Joyce and David was seated at the dining table. The smell of breakfast food filled the whole kitchen. Eggs, bacon—and Joyce even made pancakes! Max entered the kitchen, trying to smile and act normally.

"We made your favorite meal to come home to," Joyce said happily.

"Breakfast for dinner!" David smiled. "Who doesn't love it?"

Max pulled a chair and sat down.

"Max, you've gotten so thin! More so than I remember!" Joyce said, placing two slices of bacon and two eggs onto Max's plate. "It always fascinated me how much you and Chloe could eat, but never plumped up."

"You would think that smoking all that pot would have given you munchies all the time and gain weight," David joked with a mouthful of bacon.

"Hey now! Max never smoked pot," Joyce said, smiling at Max almost testing her. "Just Chloe."

Max realized that she had been quiet the whole time. She figured that it was abnormal and worried that Joyce and David noticed that she was not acting like herself. She inhaled deeply and smiled at the two of them.

"Thank you for dinner," Max said genuinely. "Thank you for having me stay over again… always making me feel at home."

"Aw, Max! Anytime, sweetie!" Joyce replied. She bit a small piece of her pancake. "We sure wish we could visit YOU! But every time we're free to visit, you're not in LA!"

"Always traveling and on the road, huh Max?" David smiled. "Just like me when I was your age!"

"Honey, traveling and stationed at other countries because you served in the Army isn't the same as traveling to take photos," Joyce said, smirking at David.

"Ah, you're right," David sighed. "It certainly isn't the fun type of traveling that Max does. That reminds me! We've got more photos of yours that needs signing!"

Max shyly smiles while looking at her plate of food. She takes a bite from her eggs and looks up. David walked toward the shelf in the living room. He takes a binder from the shelf and walks back to the dining table. He opens the binder.

"David, please don't make her sign ALL of them!" Joyce said, shaking her head. They all chuckled.

David kept a binder of all the photos that Max had taken throughout her career that were found in magazines, newspaper clippings, or online. David would ask Max to sign the back of as many of them as she could. Joyce and David were very proud of Max. It always made Max's heart happy knowing that they admired and loved her.

They were silent for a moment. Joyce looked at David as they continued to eat, and David looked at Joyce. They shared a knowing look. Joyce put her fork and knife down and cleared her throat.

"Max…" Joyce began. "I don't suppose you noticed something in Chloe's room."

Max froze.

" _Oh, fuck,"_ Max thought. _"Do they know about Rachel?"_

"Uh, yes," David said. "The, uh, boxes of all the baby stuff."

Max sighed. She was relieved, but she completely forgot about the boxes. The thought of them made her upset. Her face grew hot.

"We wanted to wait for your visit so that you can see Chloe's room for the last time… as it was…" Joyce continued. "Before we made any major changes to it for the baby."

"We were thinking that maybe you wanted to take some of her belongings as well," David said. "You know, for keepsake."

Max gulped. She was shaking. She couldn't believe how furious she was getting. It was very unlike her, she thought.

"Honestly, we were going to donate anything that we didn't need," Joyce said. "Or maybe save some of the furniture for when the baby gets older. Everything else is just junk—"

"—It's not junk!" Max raised her voice and slammed her fist on the table. She felt her throat constrict. "Those are Chloe's stuff! You can't… you can't just get rid of them!"

Max wondered if Rachel could hear the commotion from upstairs… Max tried to calm down and lower her voice so Rachel couldn't hear… She really could not believe how immature she was behaving or for not wanting the baby to have Chloe's room. Her eyes were watering and her throat felt tight.

" _The grownup thing to do is to be okay with it,"_ Max thought. _"But I just can't… I can't say goodbye to your room…"_

"Hey now, sport! We know you're upset," David said calmly. "We knew you wouldn't like it, but… but we need to make changes soon for the baby."

"…Chloe would have understood," Joyce said softly.

"How would you know?" Max responded, her voice was raspy. "She hated it when you two went through her stuff!"

"I'm sorry, Max. I know it hurts… but as soon as you head back to Los Angeles, David and I are going to make the changes anyway," Joyce replied. "We figured you wanted to gather her stuff before we did. I'm sure Chloe would have loved to give you her things that she didn't need anymore."

Max took a deep breath. She wanted to cry, but she knew she had to respond appropriately. As much as she wanted to whine and complain like a teenager, Max knew that she was being selfish. Max knew she had to be okay with the changes…

" _It's about time I've moved on anyway, Chloe."_ Max thought. _"Keeping your stuff there and holding onto them probably isn't healthy… but don't you ever think I'll ever forget you."_

Max sighed.

"I'm… I'm sorry for acting childish," Max said. She looked at Joyce and David who gave her a caring look. "I just… It's just gonna be difficult… but I will help you two sort and pack her stuff."

Joyce reached to hold Max's hand. David did the same. They all hugged. Joyce wiped her eyes that were teary. David's face was flushed and it looked like he was trying hard not to cry…

They all finished dinner silently. Max helped Joyce and David clear the table and they both went upstairs to get ready for bed. Max gathered a plate of left over bacon, eggs, pancakes, a glass of orange juice, and a container of syrup for the pancakes. Leftovers for hungry Rachel.

Max went upstairs. She hoped that Rachel was not in the room. She hoped that she had imagined it all. Max slowly opened Chloe's door, and closed it. Nope. She didn't imagine it. Rachel was still there.

"Wow. You even brought the syrup!" Rachel joked. "Thank goodness, I'm starving!"

Max placed Rachel's food onto Chloe's desk where Rachel began eating. Max sat on Chloe's bed, rubbing her knuckles nervously, silently watching Rachel eat… thinking about what was about to happen…

"I heard some yelling down there," Rachel said. "What's up with that?"

"Joyce and David wanted to turn Chloe's room into a baby room," Max said. "They're, uh, pregnant now."

"Oh, wow! Congratulations to them!" Rachel said chewing on a slice of bacon. "I knew Chloe didn't live here anymore. Plus, I saw the boxes of baby stuff."

"I was just upset because… well," Max replied. "I really love this room."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I love it too. But, since Chloe doesn't live here anymore, I guess it doesn't matter, huh?"

Max felt her throat tighten again… It was about time she told Rachel…

"Are you gonna tell me where Chloe is?" Rachel added. "I mean, we're wasting our time here. Let's spend the night at her place—is she even still in Arcadia Bay?"

Max felt her eyes water and her body weaken. She watched as Rachel finished her food and drank the last gulps of orange juice. She got up from the desk and sat on the bed next to Max.

"Ah! Now, there's empty dishes in this room," Rachel said smugly. "Now, it's starting to feel more like Chloe's room!"

"…Rachel," Max began. Her hands were shaking and she felt her heart beat a million beats per minute.

" _This is it,"_ Max thought. _"It's time to tell Rachel…"_

"Rachel," Max said. Her voice was low and shaky with sadness. "Chloe… Chloe's gone."

Max looked at Rachel. She saw Rachel's face freeze. Rachel looked at Max with a concerned face. Rachel smiled nervously, but it faded again.

"What are you talking about, Max?" Rachel asked. Max heard the pain and confusion in Rachel's voice. "What do you mean she's gone?"

Max's eyes welled up with tears. She closed her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Rachel saw Max's face reddened and heard Max sob softly. Max held Rachel's hands tightly in hers. Rachel realized that Max was hurting. She realized what Max meant when she said "gone."

"Chloe's dead…" Max whimpered. She sobbed.

Rachel's face whitened and tears formed in her eyes.

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes:**

I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and I hope this chapter will intrigue you! The first three chapters in one week is not bad, right? How often should I post? Do you like the suspense building and waiting for a new chapter by me posting once a week—or shall I post as frequently as I can (like now)? I am just enjoying working on this story that I have had in mind for almost a year now! It just feels great finally getting it in text form. Please feel free to let me know what you think of the story so far! Thank you so much once again for reading! I appreciate it!

 **Chapter Three**

"NO!" Rachel exclaimed. She pulled her hands away from Max's and stood up. "She's not!"

"Shhh! Rachel, please…" Max looked up at Rachel, trying to whisper. "You're gonna wake up—"

"You're fucking lying!" Rachel retorted, trying to lower her voice, tears now rolling down her cheeks. She backed away from the bed. "She's not dead!"

The windows in Chloe's room rattled. Max looked out the window above Chloe's desk. Even in the darkness of the night, she could see the trees outside swaying in the light of the dimly lit lamp posts on the street. Max heard the distant sound of thunder roaring.

" _What the hell?"_ Max thought. _"The weather forecast didn't mention thunder tonight… I made sure before I boarded the plane…"_

Max stood up and stepped toward Rachel. She looked at her empathetically.

"Would I… lie to you… about this?" Max asked, gasping and sobbing. "I would never joke about… about…"

Max reached her hand to place on Rachel's shoulder to comfort her, but Rachel shoved Max's arm away. She shook her head in disbelief.

"This can't have happened," Rachel said, mostly to herself than to Max. "It didn't happen…"

Rachel glanced at the window above Chloe's desk. She zoomed toward the window, climbed on the desk, and opened the window.

The sound of wind and the leaves shaking on the branches of trees could be heard along with the occasional loud thunder. It started to rain heavily. Max looked at the night sky. Dark clouds formed above, blocking any moonlight.

"What are you doing?!" Max hissed. "You can't go—"

And before Max could stop her, Rachel crawled out of the window and onto the roof of the garage.

Max stood in Chloe's room. She was frozen, contemplating what to do next.

" _Fuck!"_ Max thought. _"I have to follow her…"_

She looked at Chloe's bedroom door. She swiftly tip-toed toward the door and locked it before zooming toward the window that Rachel jumped out off. Max glanced out the window and saw Rachel lowering herself from the roof of the garage onto the driveway, and then running down the street.

Thunder grew loudly and a hint of lightning flashed from above. Rain was pouring and the wind picked up speed.

" _Fuck! I can't lose her. I gotta go after her."_ Max thought. She climbed out the window and onto the roof. She shut the window and lowered herself to the driveway as Rachel did. She ran after her.

"Rachel! Hey!" Max screamed. She saw Rachel running down the middle of the street about five houses away. "Please stop!"

Max felt her entire clothes and body soaked with rain. It added weight to her and made running difficult. She felt her legs grow tired, her heart beating rapidly, and her lungs overworking, but she powered through and advanced toward Rachel.

"Rachel, slow down!" Max yelled.

But Rachel ignored Max, or perhaps she could not hear Max screaming because the sounds of wind, rain, and thunder muffled her voice. Rachel continued to run down the block and she turned a corner.

Max followed, trying to keep up. It was difficult to see Rachel with the darkness and rain obstructing her vision. Max shielded her eyes from the hard wind and the rain with her arm as she edged toward Rachel.

" _What is Rachel thinking?!"_ Max thought. _"Please stop…"_

As Max turned the corner where Rachel did, she stopped. She no longer saw Rachel. Something was standing in the middle of the street. It was looking right at her. Max's heart skipped a beat. She could not believe her eyes.

It was a doe. It seemed unafraid. More noticeable was the fact that its fur was dry. As the thunder roared and the lightning flashed, it was unaffected and unafraid of the storm. It reminded Max of the doe she would often see around Arcadia Bay five years ago, in the alternate dimension where Chloe lived… Max often felt that the doe was guiding her… that it was her spirit animal… or someone else's. She remember no longer seeing the doe after she and Chloe had found Rachel Amber's body… which turns out was not Rachel's…

" _No…"_ Max thought. _"No, I'm not seeing this… not again."_

She watched the doe run down the street a few yards, and then turn around to look back at Max again.

" _It… wants me to follow it?"_ Max wondered.

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

" _Please go away. I don't know where you will take me…"_ Max thought.

She opened her eyes and the doe was no longer on the street. In the distance, she spotted Rachel continuing to run. She saw the streetlights flicker on and off. She heard the snap of several branches of trees around her. Debris from the street, trash from trash bins, shingles from rooftops, broken twigs, and leaves were thrown all around her.

" _If this storm grows stronger, it will cause more damage,"_ Max thought.

Max saw that Rachel was running toward a baseball park. She followed her as Rachel slowed down in the middle of the field. Max caught up to Rachel.

"Rachel, we shouldn't be out here!" Max yelled, out of breath. She looked at Rachel who looked winded. Rachel fell to her knees on the grass and sobbed while breathing in and out heavily trying to catch her breath.

Max knelt down in front of Rachel. She gently grasped Rachel's shoulders and looked at her comfortingly. Hot tears streamed down their cheeks while cold rain splashed onto their faces.

Max leaned close to Rachel and hugged her tightly. Rachel held onto Max for support. Max felt Rachel's body twitch with every sob she let out.

"Rachel… I am so, SO sorry!" Max yelled, holding closely onto Rachel. "I'm so sorry…"

Rachel belted out a scream. Almost immediately, the thunder boomed louder, rain poured harder, and the wind blew more fiercely.

Max held onto Rachel as the wind pushed their bodies closer. Max felt her chest pressed up against Rachel's. She wondered if Rachel could feel Max's heart pounding in her chest. Max closed her eyes and hoped that the storm would calm down.

" _Please… stop…"_ Max thought.

Rachel screamed another time, louder and longer. The shrill of her scream was followed by louder thunder, stronger winds, more lightning, and heavier rain. They were at the eye of the storm.

Max was reminded of the weather on the night an enormous vortex of wind and water was making its way from the ocean toward Arcadia Bay five years ago… She knew that the moment it reached the shore, the tornado would have destroyed the entire town.

Max remembered the moment she made the most difficult decision in her life… to save Chloe or save Arcadia Bay. Max knew that having Chloe live will fuck up the universe and cause more chaos. She saw tears in the fabric of time and space continuum. She remembered the moment when Chloe told her that Max should accept their fate… and when she kissed Chloe goodbye…

 _"All those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours…"_ Chloe's voice echoed out of her head. Max heard and felt as if Chloe's voice surrounded her and Rachel, shielding them from the storm.

Max closed her eyes, trying to shut away the image of Chloe on that cliff by the lighthouse and the sound of pain and love in Chloe's voice, but she could not…

 _"I'll always love you..."_

After several moments of Max embracing Rachel and holding on for dear life, Rachel screamed one last cathartic scream.

Max flinched, expecting the worse, but she saw that Rachel seemed to be calming down. She was now sobbing softly. Max noticed the wind gradually slowing down, the thunder becoming muffled, and the rain pouring a little lighter.

" _Oh, thank goodness,"_ Max thought. _"Please stop this fucked up storm… Where the fuck did it come from?"_

Rachel looked at Max, still holding onto her. Even with Rachel's face drenched from the rain, Max could tell that tears were streaming from Rachel's eyes.

"Rachel…?" Max asked.

"I… I loved her," Rachel croaked. She closed her eyes and winced from the pain in her chest. "I should've been there for her…"

"I loved her too," Max began. "And it's not your fault—"

"—I should've fucking stayed!" Rachel said. She looked down at her trembling hands. Her fists were balled up tightly turning her knuckles white. "I wasn't there for her…"

"Neither was I," Max replied. She felt a sting in her chest. Max thought about the five years she lived in Seattle, Washington. She thought about how she stopped writing to Chloe, even after promising her that she would keep in touch. "I let her down..."

Rachel had finally relaxed her hands and they stopped shaking. The storm had calmed down and so did the two of them. The wind was just a slight breeze. The rain and thunder stopped. Max noticed the dark storm clouds slowly dispersing and lightening in color, but still covering the moon completely.

" _What… the fuck just happened?"_ Max thought. _"This fucking weather…"_

Max felt her cellphone vibrate. She took it out of her coat's pocket.

" _Oh, it's gotta be waterlogged by now,"_ Max thought. She saw that her phone felt damp, but it was not drenched. It was still working.

She saw that she received a text message from Joyce. She glanced at the time. It was almost midnight. She read the text from Joyce hoping that she and David were okay.

" _Hey Max, is everything alright? The sudden storm woke me and David up."_ The text from Joyce read. _"Chloe's door was locked, but the lights are on. I knocked, but you didn't answer. Are you awake?"_

Max responded, _"Yes, I'm alright, thanks. The storm just startled me a bit."_

" _Alright. Have a good night, Max."_ Joyce finally said. _"See you in the morning."_

Max put her phone back in her coat pocket. She glanced at Rachel. Rachel had completely calmed down and so did Max. Rachel closed her eyes and held onto Max. She rested her head onto Max's shoulder.

"Rachel, it's almost midnight. We're soaked. We should go back in the house. We almost died out here—" Max suggested.

"It's safe," Rachel interrupted. Her voice was weak. "We're going to be fine."

"You don't know that," Max said nervously. She glanced around her. Although the storm had calmed down, she could not help but worry. "There could be another burst of—"

"I created the storm," Rachel said. She looked at Max guiltily.

"What?" Max scoffed nervously. She shook her head. She looked at Rachel trying to find an expression on her face that would hint that she was joking. Rachel was not.

"It sounds crazy and I don't expect you to believe me, Max," Rachel replied. "I caused the storm to form."

"But… how?" Max asked in disbelief. She looked around her once again, trying to make sense of what Rachel just told her.

" _Rachel ran off… the storm arrived…"_ Max thought. _"Whenever Rachel screamed… the thunder… wind… rain… they all grew intense…"_

Max considered these as silly coincidences. She had a hard time believing Rachel.

"But… that's not possible! You're joking," Max replied shocked. "Now, you're going to tell me that you're part of the X-Men—"

"—Have you ever had anything happen to you without any fucking explanation?" Rachel asked, almost ashamed of herself. "Anything… supernatural or horrible? Something you didn't know you could do?"

Rachel looked right in Max's eyes. Max could see that Rachel was being honest. Nothing on her face indicated that Rachel was lying.

Max's heartbeat increased slightly. She started to breathe shallowly.

" _My… my ability to reverse time?"_ Max worried. _"Does she know? Can she read minds too?"_

"I… I guess so," Max replied quietly.

"I can control the weather and nature, Max… I can make tsunamis or make it snow…" Rachel continued. "I can even cause earthquakes and volcanoes to erupt."

"That's… that's insane, Rachel," Max gasped. "You can't be serious!"

But Max knew deep down inside that Rachel was serious. She believed Rachel, no matter how much she did not want to.

"Whenever I feel incredibly sad or angry," Rachel said. "The weather grows more intense..."

Rachel stayed silent. She looked at Max waiting for a response.

"I… I need to be sure," Max said. She really did not want to say what she was about to say. "I need you to prove it."

Max's hands trembled. She knew that if she tried to stand up, her legs would have wobbled and she would have fallen. She was bracing herself for the worst.

Rachel closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. She balled her fists.

Max felt a small droplet of water fall from the sky above her. She looked up. It started to rain lightly. She looked at Rachel. Rachel opened her eyes and unclenched her fists. The rain stopped.

After a moment, Rachel clenched her fists again, but she kept her eyes open to look at Max. It started to rain lightly again. Max looked at Rachel with wide eyes and was almost impressed with her. Max no longer felt scared, but she was shocked by what she discovered about Rachel.

" _No… this is no coincidence,"_ Max thought. _"Rachel fucking Amber can control the god damn weather…_ _She has the power of nature._ _"_

"I feel like I was cursed with this," Rachel said, defeated almost. The rain stopped again.

"I'm terrified of what I'm capable of doing…" Rachel continued. "Sometimes… sometimes I can't control these… these powers or whatever the fuck you wanna call them. I'm always scared, Max."

Max held Rachel close. She hugged her and Rachel hugged back.

"I'm just glad we're okay," Max said. "I'm so sorry that you didn't know about…"

"I think Chloe sort of knew of my powers," Rachel said. "It rarely happened when I was with her… I just didn't realize I had this ability until recently."

" _Chloe knew of mine too,"_ Max thought. _"She never told me about Rachel possibly having powers."_

"And I'm sorry I ran off," Rachel apologized. "I'm sorry I caused this—"

"—I can control time," Max said abruptly. "I-I can only reverse it… and… stop it, I guess."

Max thought about the moment when her friend Kate Marsh stood on the roof of the girls' dorms of Blackwell Academy five years ago. Time had stopped for Max, but she could not explain why. Kate was going to commit suicide. Max remembered making her way up the roof, talking to Kate, trying to calm her down, trying to comfort her, and Kate eventually walked toward Max and cried. She saved Kate…

Rachel looked at Max with attentive eyes. She did not react in disbelief. She did not bat an eye. It was if as Max just told her that dogs have four legs—something that she already knew and was a fact. Rachel believed Max.

"You're a time traveler," Rachel said softly.

" _Is she going to ask me to show her?"_ Max asked herself. _"I… I promised to never use them again."_

"Well… I can't fast-forward time," Max said. "I can… I can also look at a photo and jump to that same moment… but it has to be a photo I'm in or a photo that I took—"

"—Can you reverse time and save Chloe?" Rachel looked at Max questioningly.

Max's stomach lurched. She had a feeling Rachel was going to ask that… She did not feel like it was the right time to tell Rachel about her saving Chloe from being shot by Nathan in the alternate timeline… Not yet.

"Rachel… I had the same idea…" Max began. She frowned and felt her heart ache. "I really wanted to save Chloe, but—"

"—Your powers are limited and cannot bring people back from the dead," Rachel interrupted.

"Well, no, it's not that—" Max replied.

"—I get it, Max," Rachel retorted. "I believe you. When I met you, I felt something in my heart… a connection that bonded you to me… I believe you."

" _A connection?"_ Max wondered. _"What does that mean?"_

Max felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders. She wanted to explain to Rachel that she can definitely bring people back from the dead. She thought about herself bringing Chloe back multiple times and even bringing Chloe's dad, William, back to life. She told herself that she will tell Rachel about her adventures with Chloe at a better time…

Max finally stood up and so did Rachel.

"How fucked up, huh?" Rachel sighed. "We both love Chloe… and we both have supernatural abilities… Maybe it's the power of friendship?" Rachel joked.

"Let's just go home," Max sighed. She really did not want to talk about her time-reversing powers, much less demonstrate them to Rachel if she asked. She knew the destruction they could cause—and she realized how much destruction Rachel could cause too.

Max began walking away from the park and down the street. Rachel walked beside her. They made their way toward Chloe's house.

They looked around and saw many tree branches, litter, and other debris caused by the storm. They wondered if Chloe's house was damaged or if anyone in Arcadia Bay was harmed. Max wondered how far the storm reached from the center where they were.

They both walked in silence. Max wondered if and when Rachel was going to ask about Chloe's death… about how it happened. This ran through her mind until they finally reached Chloe's house. It was not damaged. Only leaves and debris were found on the front lawn, the driveway, and some on the roof of the house.

Max helped Rachel up the roof of the garage and Rachel helped Max up. They opened Chloe's window and climbed in the room. Their clothes, still soaked, dripped water onto the floor. They kicked off their shoes.

"Jesus, I'm glad to be in here," Rachel said. "You think Chloe had any leftover pot?"

"Um… Even if she did, 5-year-old pot will probably be horrible," Max chuckled.

"I just really need to calm down," Rachel said.

Max grabbed a few towels from Chloe's closet and handed a few to Rachel. They began drying themselves.

Max awkwardly turned around so that she was not looking at Rachel.

"I'm… I'm gonna get undressed," Max said sheepishly. She grabbed a house shirt and some boxer shorts from her bag on the floor. "I'm sorry, if you don't mind…"

Rachel opened Chloe's dresser to grab some of Chloe's dry pajamas to wear, which were pretty much a white sleeveless shirt and some track shorts. Max turned off the lights as they were getting ready for bed. Max began to get undressed. She dried her body and her hair. She saw at the corner of her eye, that Rachel was undressed and also drying her body.

" _Don't turn around, Max,"_ Max told herself. _"Don't even think about it."_

But Max turned around and glanced at Rachel. Her back was turned toward her, but Max could see Rachel's flawless body, her hips, her legs, her shoulders, her arms, her back… Max felt her face become hot and she immediately turned around.

" _She really is as beautiful as everyone said,"_ Max thought. She felt her heart flutter a bit. She shook her head and finished dressing.

They stood in silence, still facing away from each other. Eventually, Rachel spoke up.

"How…?" Rachel asked. She sniffled. "How did it happen?"

Max bit her lip. It was difficult enough to think about Chloe's death, but it was even emotionally harder to talk about it. She stayed silent, bracing herself before answering Rachel. She turned around. Rachel was finally dressed and she was sitting on Chloe's bed.

" _Wow…"_ Max thought. She glanced at Rachel's chest and her hips. _"Chloe's clothes fit her nicely…"_

Max looked down, weirded out by checking Rachel out at a time when they were about to discuss Chloe's death. She cleared her throat.

"Are you... ready to know?" Max asked cautiously. She walked toward Rachel and sat down next to her.

"I guess I have to be," Rachel replied.

"She…" Max said sadly. "She was shot by Nathan Prescott…"

Max flinched slightly. She did not know how Rachel would have responded to that. She had heard from people around the school that Rachel was a part of the Vortex Club, and so was Nathan Prescott. She figured Rachel and Nathan were somewhat friends. Max studied Rachel's face, looking for a reaction.

"When?" Rachel asked softly.

"Five years ago… it happened at school… in the girls' bathroom," Max said, waiting for a significant reaction from Rachel. Rachel did not respond. It hurt Max to think about that moment.

Rachel was still silent with a blank expression on her face.

"It happened about six months after you went missing…" Max continued.

Rachel closed her eyes and stood up. She sighed and looked around the room and out the window. She looked up at the late night sky, which was now clear of rain clouds. Stars shown above. It was a cool, windless night and the moon was finally seen.

"This wouldn't have happened if I didn't run away…" Rachel said quietly. "Like I said… It's my fault."

"No, Rachel," Max replied, looking up at Rachel. "It's not your fault, you didn't—"

"—It is," Rachel interrupted. "I fucked up…"

"What do you mean?" Max asked. She stood up and looked at Rachel who was still looking out the window at the sky above.

"Max, I think… I…" Rachel looked at Max in the eye. Max felt a chill. She saw the look of sadness and regret in Rachel's face. "I was involved in Chloe's death."

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes:**

There is less action, and more discussion in this chapter! Sorry if you're not into dialogue, but if you are, I hope you like this chapter! It's time for Max and Rachel to _spill the beans_! Tipping my hat to Frank Bowers on that one! Here is a very exposition-filled chapter. It reveals parts of my theory about the truth about Rachel's "death/whereabouts" and parts of my theory about the story behind Chloe's death. Enjoy!

 **Chapter Four**

Max's heart skipped a beat and her stomach ached. She felt her breathing become faster and her whole body freezing up.

"W-what… are you t-talking about, Rachel?" Max stammered in shock. "What do you mean you were involved in Chloe's death?"

"I knew Nathan owned a gun." Rachel said. She looked away from Max, feeling ashamed. "He carried it around like he owned the world. He felt so proud and so… powerful with that gun."

"…And?" Max responded, afraid to hear what Rachel was going to say next.

"And I knew he was unstable…" Rachel replied, still avoiding to look at Max. "He had anger issues, but he never tried to hurt anyone for no reason. I tried to help him get better. Victoria and I tried so hard to help him. He got professional help and _was_ getting better, but…"

Max remained speechless. She felt her heart ache and her hands tremble. Max recalled finding Nathan's medications in his locker in the boys' changing room. One of the medication was Diazepam, which Max knew treated anxiety and muscle spasms…

" _Rachel couldn't have been involved, Chloe,"_ Max thought. _"There's no way she intended to hurt you!"_

"But he wouldn't get rid of that gun," Rachel continued, her voice trembling. She finally turned to look at Max. She slumped her shoulders, crossed her arms, and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "It was his dad's gun. We told him to put it back… We told him it wasn't funny or safe to keep it with him everywhere he went… He didn't want to at first."

"But he brought it with him anyway…" Max said, her voice breaking. "He brought it with him when he met up with Chloe… and he fucking shot her…"

Rachel slowly walked in front of Max. Max looked up at Rachel. They were both tense. Max could sense that Rachel was eager to ask something. Rachel looked up at the ceiling, either to hold back tears or to try to gain confidence in herself.

"Why… why did Chloe want to meet up with Nathan, Max?" Rachel asked. Max saw the look on Rachel's face. It was as if Rachel knew the answer deep down, but wanted Max to tell her something else. "Did you ever find out?"

Max sighed. She gathered herself and tried to hold back more tears as Rachel was doing. Her eyes were sore from all the crying she has done. Her body was weak and her muscles ached. She did not know how much emotional and physical strain she could handle.

"The moment before Nathan shot Chloe, I overheard them arguing… She was threatening him for hush money," Max said softly. She tried to keep it together. "She tried to blackmail him."

"Wait. You were there?" Rachel asked. "You saw her… get shot?"

Max gulped. She felt her throat tighten. It was difficult for her to talk about Chloe's death, but she knew she had to tell Rachel. Rachel needed to know.

"Yes… I was there. I heard their conversation… It was very vague," Max responded. She looked at her feet. She was trying so hard not to cry again.

"Why did Chloe blackmail Nathan?" Rachel asked. Again, Max saw the look on Rachel's face that told her that she probably knew the answer to her question, but was afraid and in denial to accept. Rachel bit her lip still trying not to cry either.

"I was hoping you would know for sure," Max replied. She hunched her shoulders and walked in a slump toward Chloe's bed. She sat back down on the bed and began rubbing her knuckles to calm down and concentrate.

"Chloe mentioned that she knew Nathan was making hella cash by selling drugs to people at Blackwell Academy, and she threatened to tell the Prescotts on Nathan..." Max continued. "I figured she needed the money to find you since you were missing... Her mom thought you were in Los Angeles the whole time…"

"She would've needed a lot more money than that," Rachel said, she shook her head. "I can't believe she tried to look for me…"

"Why wouldn't she, Rachel?" Max asked. "She loved you! She really loved you and was worried sick about you! I… I could tell."

Max reached to the small shelf by Chloe's bed to find a small tin box. She opened it to find a folded photo of Chloe and Rachel. She picked it up and looked at it. Chloe was giving the middle finger in the photo and Rachel looked calm, but beautiful nonetheless. Max smiled. She tossed the photo onto the bed for Rachel to see.

"This… this was the photo she used of you…" Max said. "She put up so many 'missing person' posters of you all over Blackwell Academy and all over town with this photo. She really wanted you back, Rachel."

Rachel walked to the bed and sat by Max. She picked up the photo and looked at it. She smiled too.

"You know, we were hella fucking high when we took this," Rachel chuckled. "Hence the blank expression on my face." Max chuckled too.

"This was taken on April 20th, 2013," Rachel continued. "Four-twenty, blaze it, yo!"

They chuckled again. Max felt glad that Rachel was trying to lighten the mood. But she wondered if it the lightened mood will last.

"Two days before you went missing…" Max solemnly said.

"If only I can jump into this photo," Rachel said, her eyes getting teary. "I would never leave her sight."

Max thought about her ability to jump into photos that she took. Five years ago, it was one thing to discover that she was able to reverse time, but it blew her mind when she accidentally discovered that she could also time-hop by looking at a photo. It had to be a photo that she took herself or a photo of herself in it.

Max remembered looking at a photo of her and Chloe when they were thirteen and fourteen respectively. The photo was taken by William, Chloe's dad. Max remembered jumping into that photo and preventing William from driving his car… preventing him from dying in that car accident…

Max held Rachel's hand in comfort and support. Rachel gently squeezed Max's hand to do the same. They were silent, then Rachel spoke.

"I guess you found the weed," Rachel said.

"What?" Max asked.

Rachel pointed inside the tin box on Max's lap. Max looked deeper inside and found a few joints and a dime bag of marijuana. They both laughed again.

"I don't think it's worth smoking," Max said.

"Yeah, no thanks," Rachel added. She held onto the photo of her and Chloe. She stared at it again one more time, then she handed it back to Max. Max closed Chloe's tin box and placed it back on the small shelf. She placed the photo of Rachel and Chloe on the shelf. She propped it up to stand like a framed photo. She turned to Rachel.

"Rachel, I still don't understand why you think it's your fault that Chloe died," Max said. "Just because you knew that Nathan had a gun and that you knew that he was unstable, it doesn't mean _you_ killed Chloe."

Rachel did not respond. Either she was trying to form the words or she was having difficulty thinking about it. Max looked in Rachel's eyes. She could tell that Rachel was hurting. She leaned in closer and held her hand again.

"I don't know why Nathan brought a gun with him, but he made the conscious choice to carry that gun with him," Max continued. " _You_ didn't pull the trigger on Chloe. Nathan did."

"No, Max," Rachel said. She shook her head. "It's still my fault. Even if he told us not to, even though he threatened to kill us, Victoria and I could have reached out to his parents about his mental condition… We could have told the school… He was our friend… but I still knew he was unstable."

Max still looked into Rachel's eyes. Max was mesmerized by Rachel's beauty. Even in the dimly-lit room—which light source was only the moon and street lamps outside—Max could see the hazel color glow in Rachel's cat-like eyes.

"This is why a lot of school shootings happen," Rachel continued, her lips quivering. "People ignore the clues. I'm one of the people who ignored them. I… I feel like I had let this happen."

Rachel was silent. She looked guilty and heartbroken. She held back a sob. Max held Rachel. She placed her arm over Rachel's shoulder while holding her hand, feeling her body tense.

"When he seemed to have gotten better, after he started taking his medications, he stopped carrying around his dad's gun," Rachel continued again. "It was then that we gave up and figured he was going to be okay. But we were wrong… We were bystanders, Max. Victoria and I let it happen…"

"Stop telling yourself that, Rachel!" Max said. She knew Rachel was blaming herself and felt guilty, something Max would have probably also felt if she were in Rachel's shoes. "He's… he's in a rehabilitation institution now." Max wondered if this information will make Rachel feel better or worse…

Rachel was silent for a moment, then let go of Max's hand.

"Well... she was right," Rachel responded. "Chloe was right."

"Right about what?" Max asked.

"Chloe was right about Nathan having money from selling drugs to Blackwell kids," Rachel replied. Her hands were trembling. "And I was helping him."

"You what?!" Max exclaimed, wide-eyed. She scooched backward and distanced herself from Rachel, taken aback. "Why?"

Max remembered the time she and Chloe broke into Principal Wells' office and read through Nathan's and Rachel's student files.

" _Nathan accused Rachel of bringing drugs on campus?"_ Max remembered Chloe saying at the time, but she did not believe it were true.

"He and I were... accomplices with this drug dealer named Frank," Rachel responded. "We worked for him... we sold his product, and we got paid hella cash... I needed the money, Max… Chloe and I wanted to run away to Los Angeles, so I was saving up."

 _"That was her plan. Our plan."_ Max remembered Chloe telling her this. _"Get the hell out of Bigfootville, and into Los Angeles."_

"Frank Bowers?" Max asked. Although she was shocked that Rachel worked with Nathan, Max was not surprised that she was involved in Frank's drug dealing. Max recalled the photos of Frank and Rachel… and the questionable photos Frank took of Rachel too.

"Yeah. Frank Bowers. How do you know him?" Rachel asked.

"Chloe mentioned... that he taught her how to pick locks..." Max replied. She rubbed her knuckles sadly. She remembered the time she built a pipe bomb with the help of her friend Warren. Chloe and Max used the pipe bomb to break into Principal Wells' office when Chloe could not pick the door lock.

"That sounds about right… Did she mention that we used to blaze and drink with Frank too?" Rachel chuckled. "Sometimes it'll be the three of us. Sometimes it'll just be Frank and me while Chloe was grounded at home—"

"—Holy shit... I can't fucking believe it!" Max blurted out. She stood up from the bed looking at Rachel. Max was wide-eyed and pacing the room, shocked by her epiphany.

"I know. I'm not the good and pure Rachel Amber who people think I am—" Rachel said.

"—No..." Max interrupted. "Chloe told me that before you went missing, you told her that you met somebody who changed her life... It was Frank, wasn't it? I didn't want to believe it. Why didn't I figure it out then? It was so fucking obvious…"

" _This whole time…"_ Max thought. _"I thought the person she met before going missing was that bastard Mark Jefferson."_

Rachel also stood up. She paced around the room before answering Max.

"I cheated on her, you know?" Rachel said softly.

Max remained silent. She was not sure whether she was more shocked than upset. She could not understand why someone who loved Chloe would do something that would jeopardize their relationship with her and hurt her... something like cheating.

" _Then again… moving to Seattle jeopardized our relationship too, huh, Chloe?"_ Max thought. _"I stopped talking to you… I ignored your calls and texts… It hurt you so much… Who am I to judge Rachel for what she did?"_

"I was young and so… SO fucking stupid." Rachel continued, her voice breaking. "I…I loved Chloe."

"Then why would you cheat on her?!" Max blurted out. She tried to keep her voice down, trying not to wake up Joyce and David. They were both speaking at low volumes the whole time, but she could not help but raise her voice a little. "And with Frank?!"

"I loved him too... But I loved Chloe more…" Rachel said. She looked at Max who was shaking her head. Max saw that Rachel's eyes were teary. "You wanna know why Nathan brought a gun when he met up with Chloe, Max?"

Max remained silent.

"It was probably because I stole money from him. Yeah. I stole money from Nathan. Then he brought a gun to negotiate with Chloe to find me so that I can give his money back…" Rachel continued. "I know him. I know he would pull some shit like that. Nathan was only trying to scare Chloe."

Max looked away from Rachel and closed her eyes. She remembered Nathan pulling his gun out of his pocket. Replaying it her head many times for five years. She recalled Nathan talking to himself after he had shot Chloe. She remembered him pacing and trying to wake her up.

" _No, please... god, no... I-I didn't mean to,"_ Max recalled Nathan remembered Nathan trembling and twitching before he shot Chloe. Max wondered if he was twitching from his condition… or his medication's side effects. _"You just kept pushing me. Everybody is always pushing me. Sorry... I'm so, so sorry... My life is hell. And I'm so busted."_

" _It really was an accident,"_ Max said to herself. _"Nathan didn't mean to kill you, Chloe."_

Max tilted her head, confused. She looked at Rachel. "Why did you steal money from Nathan if you were making money from selling drugs?"

"I stopped selling drugs, but I was still short of cash… I was sick of this place," Rachel said. She wiped her eyes dry with her hands. Max could tell that Rachel was trying so hard not to burst out crying or screaming. "I felt so fucking guilty… I couldn't live with myself for cheating on Chloe… And I couldn't live with myself for hurting Frank for loving Chloe more…"

Max looked at Rachel. Max's nostrils were flaring and her eyes were stinging with tears forming.

"I had to get out of Arcadia Bay," Rachel continued. "I fucked up and I was too much of a coward to face them and live with my mistakes. I stole money from Nathan to leave town—another fucking mistake. And Nathan got pissed, and he tried to get Chloe to tell him where I was… and he fucking shot her… They were both trying to find me…"

Rachel turned around, facing the window above Chloe's desk. She was sobbing softly with one hand over her mouth.

Max wanted to scream at Rachel. She did not care if it woke Joyce and David up. She wanted to call Rachel selfish, just as she was about to do a few hours ago.

But something in her told her to calm down. She clenched her fists. As much as she wanted to be upset with Rachel, something in her heart held her back. Something told her to not fight with Rachel.

" _Is this your way of telling us to be friends, Chloe?!"_ Max thought angrily. She closed her eyes trying to calm her breathing. She collected her thoughts.

" _I guess… There's no point in being upset with Rachel since you were meant to die, Chloe… I have to keep reminding myself that you were meant to die…"_ Max thought to herself. _"Maybe Rachel was meant to fuck up..."_ Max's heart ached thinking about that possibility.

They were silent for a moment. Max shook her head trying to clear her thoughts again. Rachel looked at the ground shamefully.

"Well, the fucker should have put the safety lock on his gun," Max scoffed, trying to change the subject.

Max looked at the alarm clock on Chloe's small shelf by her bed. It was a few minutes passed 2:00 AM. She was starting to feel exhausted. She felt her head hurting, her brain mashed with so much information and the mind-blowing things that she discovered today. She walked back into bed, this time pulling the covers and tucking herself halfway. She sat in bed feeling defeated.

"Rachel…" she said. "It's getting late… We should go to sleep."

Rachel turned around, no longer sobbing. She walked over to the bed and also tucked her legs under the covers. Max could see that tears were slowly flowing from Rachel's eyes.

"I wrote a letter to Chloe, you know?" Rachel said softly. "I told her all about it... About me cheating on her… I tried to tell her…"

"Yeah, I found it." Max scoffed.

"What?" Rachel looked at Max in disbelief.

"I found your letter confessing to Chloe… in the hideout at the junkyard," Max replied. "You… you wanted to tell Chloe… But words were scratched and the letter was crumpled and in the trashcan."

Max lowered herself to lie on her back in bed. She placed one forearm over her eyes. Her head was spinning.

"That must have been Frank who threw it away," Rachel assumed.

Max recalled conversing with Nathan at the Two Whales Dinner in the alternate universe. She remembered Nathan mentioning Frank "taking a blood oath" for Rachel. She tried to ask Nathan more about it, but he dismissed it. Max always wondered what that "blood oath" meant…

"Was Frank keeping a blood oath for you?" Max asked.

"You knew about that?" Rachel asked.

"Nathan mentioned it briefly," Max answered.

"Frank promised me that he would never tell Chloe about us… about me cheating on her… We both cut our palms until we bled, and we shook hands." Rachel continued. "That was the 'blood oath.' We were hella wasted, but Frank swore that he would keep quiet about us… until I was ready to tell Chloe… and I promised not to tell anyone else… since I was much younger than he was…"

"I guess he figured you telling Chloe through a letter was a bad idea," Max said, looking at Rachel. "He figured a letter wasn't enough, so he tried to trash it."

"Frank knew I wasn't ready," Rachel said. "He knew I had to tell her in person… He kept his promise... But I wanted to tell Chloe eventually… I hated not sharing it with her… It's too late now."

Max was silent. She knew Chloe and Rachel were friends with Frank, but she never knew much about him. He was very mysterious, reserved, and kept to himself. He never liked company, she remembered. Max recalled seeing Frank at Chloe's funeral, but he stood far away, distancing himself from everyone else who attended.

" _He really did care about Chloe…"_ Max thought. _"He must have cared so much for her and Rachel."_

"Did you show it to Chloe?" Rachel asked. Max saw a worried look on Rachel's face.

 _"I better not show this to Chloe or she will be seriously hurt."_ Max remembered telling herself that when she found that letter.

Max also remembered when Chloe saw Frank's account book in his RV. Max remembered Chloe saying that she could not believe that she was banging Frank… and that Rachel lied to Chloe's face.

" _Perhaps she wasn't ready to tell you, Chloe,"_ Max thought.

"No," Max replied. "No, I didn't. And it wouldn't have mattered anyway… that was an alternate universe…"

"Alternate universe?" Rachel asked. She also lied down and turned her body to look at Max. "Never mind. Too much information for today. You're gonna have to explain to me about your time-traveling someday, Max. I may not know much about you… but my heart is telling me to trust you."

Max sighed. She felt her stomach ache. But she also knew the feeling that Rachel mentioned. Max's heart told her to trust Rachel too.

" _She's right,"_ Max thought. _"I'll have to tell Rachel somehow… about my powers… She still thinks my powers couldn't be used to bring people back from the dead… I just hope I won't have to use them again…"_

"Thank you anyway, Max," Rachel said. She moved herself closer to Max. Max could feel the warmth from Rachel's body. Max froze as she felt her heart flutter. They stayed silent for a few moments.

Max could feel her body and eyelids feeling heavy. She was finally growing tired and tired each second.

She turned to Rachel for one last question of the night.

"Where were you this whole damn time, Rachel?" Max asked.

But she saw that Rachel had fallen asleep.

Deep down, Max thought that Rachel and Victoria could have done more to prevent Nathan from carrying a gun or shooting Chloe. Max figured they should have brought it up to Principal Wells or the authorities…

But she remembered the last time she accused Nathan of waving around a gun. Principal Wells did not believe Max. Max learned that the Prescotts funded Blackwell Academy and that the police were tight with the Prescotts. No one would have cared if Nathan had a gun.

" _Don't worry, Rachel,"_ Max thought. She looked at Rachel's calm face and the outline of her body in the dark as she slept soundly. _"You did not kill Chloe… I just know…"_

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

" _No, please... god, no... I-I didn't mean to. You just kept pushing me. Everybody is always pushing me. Sorry... I'm so, so sorry... My life is hell. And I'm so busted."_ In this chapter, when Max recalls what Nathan said in the bathroom after shooting Chloe, this quote above was taken from the "Unused Audio Files." Check out the Life is Strange Wiki and read through or listen to the unused audio files if you have not yet! I guarantee that they will break your heart and blow your mind by giving you a different perspective at the same time!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes:**

More dialogue in this chapter, but I promise more action will happen in the next chapters! Just some more Max and Rachel bonding! It was bound to happen… and it is escalating! Nothing like getting to know and getting along with your dead best friend's girlfriend… and maybe falling for them, am I right? I do not see a lot of Amberfield (Rachel and Max ship) fan fiction and much less Amberfield fan art! So, writing this fan fiction is quite exciting for me! I feel like their relationship would make sense. They are both into art, Max takes photos, and Rachel models. Rachel may not be as dorky or geeky as Max, but their opposite personalities complement each other. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying reading this story!

 **Chapter Five**

" _I wish Rachel was here to meet you..."_

" _Do you think that Rachel and I would have been friends?"_

" _You're not that different... She had—has a great eye for images and for art. Plus, she's a smartass like you. We would all be hella 'best friends forever.'"_

" _I know she must be as cool as you are. I have no doubt we'll meet soon…"_

Max slowly opened her eyes, waking up from a restless sleep. She had been dreaming about when she and Chloe were lying down on the railroad tracks five years ago talking about Rachel Amber, Frank Bowers, and Jack Kerouac…

Max closed her eyes again, trying to force herself back into a decent slumber. She knew she did not get enough sleep. She remembered falling asleep and waking up again for what felt like every fifteen minutes all night. Her body was exhausted, but so many thoughts swam in her mind that kept her awake.

She saw a hint of sunlight leaking through the windows. She glanced over Rachel's sleeping body to the alarm clock sitting on the small shelf by Chloe's bed. Max had slept on the side of the bed close to Chloe's mirror while Rachel slept on the side of the bed close to the bedside shelf. She squinted her eyes to see the time. _7:45 AM._

" _It's Saturday, October 6, 2018, now…"_ Max thought.

Max tossed and turned as lightly as she could, trying not to disturb Rachel, but trying to find a restful and comfortable position to fall asleep again. They both were lying under the bed sheets. She had only slept less than five hours. She could hear the sound of Joyce and David downstairs, who were cooking breakfast and drinking their morning cup of coffee.

Around this time every year, Max would wake up and help make breakfast as well. Joyce and David were probably wondering why she was not up yet. Max figured that they were fine with letting her sleep in.

Max remembered Rachel moving a lot as she slept. At one point in the night, Rachel was lying very close to Max and had eventually held Max by her waist, while resting her head near Max's shoulder. Max did not try to move Rachel or turn around. She had let Rachel hold her. It made her feel protected and at bliss, and that she was making Rachel feel safe. She wondered if Rachel had heard Max's heart fluttering.

Max turned her heard and glanced at Rachel. She, too, was waking up. Rachel yawned and groaned while rubbing her cheeks with the palms of her hands.

"Couldn't sleep well either, Max?" Rachel asked. She pointed up at the graffiti on the wall by the bed. It read "I can't sleep," which was in Chloe's handwriting. Max glanced at the wall. They both chuckled.

"No…" Max said. "After a day like yesterday… how can I?"

"Tell me about it," Rachel responded. "I couldn't either... Gosh, I'm glad we didn't get sick from being soaked from all that rain."

"Should we try to get some more sleep together?" Max suggested, laughing a bit nervously. She wondered if Rachel realized that she was practically spooning her last night. "I-I mean, if you want to sleep longer, that's fine."

"It's kind of hard to sleep, now that I smell bacon and coffee coming from downstairs," Rachel responded, now stretching her arms. "I swear Joyce puts cocaine in whatever she cooks."

They chucked again. Max turned her head toward the ceiling, closed her eyes, and sniffed the air. There it was; the smell of bacon and coffee. Max could feel her mouth water and her stomach grumble.

They were silent.

"Are we ever going to tell Joyce and David that I'm not missing? That I'm in their house?" Rachel asked. It was something Max had been very concerned about. She was afraid it had to come down to that.

"Don't you want to tell your parents first?" Max asked.

"No, fuck that," Rachel replied. "They sucked… they never liked Chloe."

"Well… I think I should be the one to tell Joyce and David first…" Max responded. "I'll lay it down easy for them during breakfast, and then I'll call you downstairs."

"Sounds like a plan," Rachel said.

"Let's just hope that this fucking insane surprise doesn't rush Joyce to the hospital," Max said. "Her seeing you might induce and early labor."

They both chuckled.

"You know… Chloe talked a lot about you," Rachel said, gently brushing a lock of her hair with her fingers. "She was hurt that you and your parents moved to Seattle… angry at you, even…

" _Chloe talked a lot about you too, Rachel,"_ Max thought. _"You were her angel."_

Rachel looked at Max who did not respond. Max closed her eyes, slightly ashamed and hurt.

"I've always told her that it wasn't your fault that your folks wanted to move…" Rachel continued. "I told her that she shouldn't be so upset with you..."

"Thanks, Rachel," Max said. Max almost felt her eyes water.

"I remember feeling jealous knowing that you got to grow up with her," Rachel said. "You two have history… you clearly meant so much to her."

"You meant so much to her too, Rachel." Max smiled, looking at Rachel. "So, uh… what did she say about me?"

"She mentioned that you guys used to pretend that you were pirates, drew a lot of superhero comics," Rachel responded, "And even about the time you guys spilled your mom's wine in the living room carpet."

Max smiled. She remembered that very well.

"If I didn't know any better, Chloe was in love with you, Max," Rachel continued.

Max turned her head again to look at Rachel again. Max scoffed and Rachel smiled at Max. There was something about Rachel smiling at Max while lying in bed next to her that made Max blush.

"No, I think she was in love with _you_ , Rachel,"Max said. "You two were much closer…"

A strand of Max's hair had fallen slightly onto her face. Rachel reached her left hand toward Max's face. Rachel placed the strand of hair behind Max's ears, and in the process, gently brushed Max's cheek lightly with her thumb.

" _Wow,"_ Max thought. _"This is just like what happens in those cheesy, romantic movies."_

Max blushed even more, feeling her face getting hot. Max noticed the star tattoo on the inside of Rachel's left wrist, just as was mentioned on her "missing person" poster.

"You said that you loved her… but did you actually love her?" Rachel asked Max. Rachel slid herself closer to Max. Rachel rested her head on her own arm while facing Max. Their bodies were millimeters apart. It made Max's heart flutter faster and hard. Max felt her body freeze.

Max bit her lip. She felt her face grow warmer and her palms sweaty.

"I… of course I did," Max said. "She was my best friend—"

"—Not as a friend," Rachel said… "Were you in love with her?"

Max was silent… she looked up at the ceiling before she answered.

"I… I loved her and I cared about her so much…" Max replied softly. "She was fearless and funny… Was I romantically in love with her? I don't really know."

Max looked at Rachel who was listening attentively. Rachel smiled at her.

"We kissed like twice…" Max chuckled. She did not want to mention to Rachel about kissing Chloe goodbye on the cliff of the lighthouse yet. "She, uh, dared me. It wasn't… that much of a big deal."

"What? No way!" Rachel laughed.

"But I figured she wasn't in love with me the way she was in love with you…" Max continued. "It would have been too weird between us anyway… Since we were best friends since we were kids and all…"

They both lied in silence.

"It's weird, you know?" Rachel finally said. "Lying on this same bed next to Chloe… and then lying on it now without her… But it still smells like her."

"Yeah… it sure does." Max replied. Max always felt as if Chloe was there with her in bed whenever she had spent her few days visiting Arcadia Bay every year. She could not only smell Chloe, but feel her presence, in a way. It never freaked Max out. It comforted her.

"It almost feels like… well, if I fell asleep here and woke up, I'd expect Chloe to be holding me…," Rachel said softly. "Like she always did. Or me holding her." Max saw Rachel's eyes water a bit. She thought about how Rachel held Max while they slept.

"Fuck…" Rachel continued, wiping her eyes with her hands. "As if I haven't done enough crying yesterday already."

They chuckled again.

After a moment, Max leaned closer to Rachel and hugged her in comfort. She felt like it was the right thing to do.

"It's not going to be easy… But you will grow stronger… We will grow stronger." Max said. She placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "We can visit her tomorrow, if you'd like… Tomorrow is… the fifth anniversary. It's the day I always see her…"

Rachel looked at Max. Her face looked saddened, but lit-up at the same time.

"I… I would love that, Max," Rachel said. Rachel wrapped her arms around Max as Max did. "Thank you."

Rachel leaned in closely to Max and kissed her on her cheek. Max's body tensed up. She felt her heart beat faster and her stomach tumble. It was a platonic, friendly kiss on the cheek, but Max's face reddened and her palms sweat a bit.

"Chloe picked out a good friend," Rachel said.

Max heard rumors that Rachel was very touchy and physical when she expressed her feelings. Max wondered if people were only speaking badly of her because they were the same people who called Rachel a "slut" or "promiscuous." Max knew that the kiss probably meant nothing and was only a token of Rachel's appreciation… unless it was more than that.

"So," Max said. "Will you ever tell me where you've been these past five years, Rachel?" Max looked at Rachel expectantly.

Rachel sat up in bed. She sighed and looked at Max.

"I suppose I have to," Rachel responded. "I think I owe it to everyone in Arcadia Bay for looking for me while I was missing to tell them that I'm actually alive."

Max nodded and sat up in bed too. She was about to stand up when Rachel added on.

"But first," Rachel continued. "May you please tell me why you and everyone here thought I was dead?"

Max gulped. She figured Rachel wanted to know. Rachel deserves to know.

"Well," Max replied. "Before I tell you that… I need to tell you about my time-rewinding powers. It's… kind of an important part of your 'death' story."

Rachel smiled. She reached to hold Max's hand. She squeezed it gently, and then shook it.

"Deal," Rachel said. Max smiled back.

Max and Rachel got up and out of bed. They quickly made Chloe's bed. Max stretched her arms and legs for a few moments. She felt how sore they were from running after Rachel last night. She reached into her bag on the floor by the bed to pick out a fresh set of clothes and her toiletries. She halted in place, a bit embarrassed.

" _I need a shower…"_ Max thought. _"I'm sure Rachel wants one, too. But how can we avoid getting Rachel caught?"_

"I think we should accompany each other in the shower," Rachel said nonchalantly, as if reading Max's mind. Max felt her face get warm again.

"If we shower separately, it will be risky having to run back and forth from Chloe's room to the bathroom and vice versa," Rachel continued. "When we switch places, that's when we will likely get caught."

"Uh… yeah," Max said, nervously. She knew Rachel was right; it was safer to accompany each other in the bathroom without getting caught. She stood up with her clothes, towel, toiletries, and toothbrush. "You can use my shampoo and what-not."

"One of us can take a shower while the other chills out on the toilet, or something," Rachel said with a slight smug. "It will definitely make getting caught less likely."

"You seem very sure about this," Max said. She was hesitant and weighing the situation.

"Chloe and I used to do that whenever I spent the night without Joyce or David knowing," Rachel said. She smirked. "David especially hated it whenever I was over at the house. He always thought that Chloe and I were smoking pot or drinking alcohol… which isn't entirely far from the truth."

Rachel snickered at Max's surprised face.

"Of course… Neither Chloe and I sat on the toilet while the other showered," Rachel added. "If you know what I mean."

This made Max's body stiffen. She was wide-eyed and speechless. Suddenly, she felt very hot and uncomfortable.

"I… um," Max responded. Rachel laughed.

"Relax, Max! We don't have to do that," Rachel chuckled. "I mean, unless you want to."

If Max was not so sure, she would have assumed Rachel's joke was serious. A part of her wished that Rachel was not joking…

Rachel opened Chloe's dresser to grab a new set of clothes to wear and a towel. She looked at Max. Max braced herself.

"We'll have to bolt it to the bathroom," Rachel said. "Let's hope they're both busy downstairs and won't hear more than one person walking upstairs… David has ears like a bat."

"I'll check if the coast is clear," Max said nervously. She walked toward the bedroom door. She slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door slightly. She listened for movement or conversing between Joyce and David downstairs. She heard the two of them downstairs in the kitchen talking about the newspaper along with the clinking of silverware on the porcelain plates. Max turned to Rachel and nodded.

"They're eating. We're good. Let's go," Max said.

They both tip-toed out of Chloe's room, closed her door gently, and made their way across the hallway to the bathroom as quickly as they could. Max can hear Joyce humming while David complained about something on the newspaper. Max practically leaped into the bathroom with Rachel following close behind. They both shut the door and exhaled as if they had been holding their breaths.

" _Yes!"_ Max thought. _"Made it to the bathroom!"_

"Shit, you don't think we slammed this door too hard?" Rachel asked, slightly worried. "David hated it whenever Chloe slammed the door—he always made a point to knock on her door to ask what was wrong."

"Um, let's hope not…" Max said nervously. She thought that Joyce and David finding out that Rachel Amber was alive and in the house was something to worry less about than the fact that Rachel was about to be freaking naked with her in the bathroom.

" _It's… it's just like gym class,"_ Max thought, trying to reassure herself. _"Nothing weird about this at all."_

"Just think of it as gym class," Rachel said with a smile, again almost as if reading Max's mind. Max's stomach churned and her hands trembled slightly. "You're used to seeing people naked, right Max? Haven't you ever taken naked portraitures since you're a photographer and all?"

"Um, yeah." Max replied, nervously trying to keep her voice down as the bathroom was reverberant. "But they were models that I photographed—not my best friend's girlfriend who I'm about to spend time in the bathroom with while either one of us is naked! This seems wrong!"

Rachel snickered.

"Do you think Chloe would be upset if she found her best friend and girlfriend showering together?" Rachel asked, trying to hold in her laughter.

"—We are not showering together!" Max hissed.

Rachel chuckled.

"You go first," Max offered. She placed the toilet lid down to sit on. She turned away from Rachel. She heard Rachel fumbling with removing her clothes, collecting Max's shampoo, conditioner, and soap from Max's hands, then the shower curtains closing.

Max heard the shower knobs squeak as they were turned, and the sound of water spraying from the shower. Rachel hummed and began washing herself. Max continued to sit on the toilet, trying very hard not to imagine Rachel's naked body.

" _Why am I so flustered around her?"_ Max asked herself. _"It's no wonder why so many people at Blackwell said she was beautiful… or hot… She must give off some pheromone and make people swoon for her."_

Suddenly, after a few moments, there was a knock on the door.

"Max, honey?" It was Joyce. "I'm so sorry. Are you showering?"

Max felt her heart skip a beat. Her eyes widened in horror. The shower curtain opened slightly. Rachel peaked her head out, looking at Max also in horror. Max saw Rachel mouth the words _"Fuck! What do we do?"_

"Uh, y-yeah!" Max answered, nervously. She stood up and shook her head at Rachel and shrugged. "I'm in the shower."

" _Shit!"_ Max thought. _"Please don't come in here, Joyce!"_

"If you don't mind, I just need to get something from the medicine cabinet," Joyce answered. "I gotta head out to work now. I will be very quick!"

"N-no, I don't mind!" Max said. She looked right at Rachel with wide eyes, and Rachel smirked at Max, laughing almost.

Before Max knew it, the bathroom door knob was slowly turning and the door was opening. Max knew exactly what she had to do, but she was so reluctant. Rachel read the look on Max's face and Max's mind because she opened the shower curtain slightly. Max panicked and quickly hopped in the shower with her shirt and shorts still on. Rachel moved aside to make room for Max. They swiftly closed the shower curtains closed.

Max kept her eyes shut tightly with her head down, really trying to avoid looking at Rachel. Rachel snickered.

"Shhh!" Max hissed at Rachel.

Joyce walked in the bathroom and made her way toward the medicine cabinet. Max heard Joyce open the cabinet door, sift through a few things, and then closed it again.

"So sorry, Max! I'm really running late!" Joyce said under one breath. "Take care, honey! Breakfast is ready and on the table. David already left for work. Make yourself at home. If you're gonna head out, take care!"

"Bye, Joyce!" Max said. Her voice cracked nervously. Luckily, Rachel had been standing in the shower, preventing most of the water from pouring onto Max. She felt her legs being splashed by water and some parts of her shorts and shirt.

Joyce walked out the bathroom and closed the door. After a few seconds, Rachel burst out in a stifled laughter.

"Holy shit," Max exhaled. She had been holding her breath. Her eyes were still shut. "I can't believe that just happened."

Rachel stepped backwards in the shower, allowing the shower water to spray all over Max. Max gasped in shock and she opened her eyes. She had glanced at Rachel for a second, quickly turned herself around, and hopped out of the shower immediately. Her clothes were wet.

Rachel laughed.

"That was NOT funny!" Max whined. She rubbed her face that was soaked in water. She stood by the shower, slightly dripping with water.

" _I just saw Rachel Amber naked…"_ Max thought to herself. _"So… that happened."_

"Like what you saw?" Rachel joked.

"You're insane," Max replied.

"Come on! It was funny!" Rachel giggled. Max smiled slightly, finally calmed down and heart no longer racing.

" _Okay, it was sort of funny,"_ Max thought. _"And… I guess I did like what I saw…"_

Rachel finished her shower. Max closed her eyes and held Rachel's towel in front of her while Rachel opened the shower curtain. Rachel grabbed the towel from Max.

"You know, Max. We're just girls here," Rachel said smugly, drying her body. "You can look if you wanted to. It doesn't bother me. I'm not wrong to think it doesn't bother you, right?"

Max took Rachel's question as rhetorical and chose to ignore it. She quickly undressed and hopped into the shower as well. She sighed at the comforting, warm water splashing onto her body. She began washing herself and heard Rachel getting dressed.

"I guess you're not telling them during breakfast after all," Rachel said.

Max paused and groaned.

" _Shit! I was supposed tell Joyce and David about Rachel during breakfast!"_ Max thought. _"Guess I have to tell them later tonight…"_

Max continued to shower. Rachel continued to get dressed. She sat on the toilet in silence. She was concentrating on drying her hair for the entirety of Max's shower. Max was glad that Rachel was not trying to make conversation. Max still felt awkward about what happened minutes ago.

Max finished showering. She opened the curtain and grabbed her towel that Rachel held toward her. Max saw that Rachel was looking away. Max was glad about that too. She dried her body and got dressed as well.

"So…" Rachel said. "What's the plan for today? I mean… besides me telling you where I've been this whole time and you telling me about your powers."

Max was drying her ears with her towel. She was wondering the same thing.

"I was thinking we go to the hideout at the junkyard," Max said. "That's where I usually go when I'm visiting Arcadia Bay. I take photos, have some drinks, and just relax, you know? We can stop by the liquor store to grab some snacks and drinks."

"Holy shit," Rachel responded. She smiled a very genuine smile. "Our hideout is still there?"

"Yeah! I mean, some kids like to chill there too," Max said. "But it's pretty much the same every time I visit."

"I'm hella excited," Rachel exclaimed. "So, you don't live here anymore?"

Max opened the bathroom door and walked out to the hallway. Rachel followed her. They tossed their dirty clothes in Chloe's room in a pile by the closet. They both walked down the stairs toward the kitchen. The house was very quiet.

"No, I live in Los Angeles," Max replied. "When I'm not, I'm flying to some place in this world for a photo gig."

"That's awesome! It must be nice to travel…" Rachel said. She sighed. "Man, I miss California!"

They made their way to the kitchen, sat down on the table, and began eating the left over breakfast that Joyce cooked. They also drank coffee. They stayed quiet for several moments.

"Hey, Max," Rachel said. Max looked up from her plate.

"I'm really sorry about splashing water at you in the bathroom earlier," Rachel continued.

" _Aw, man,"_ Max thought. _"Why did she have to bring this up? So embarrassing!"_

Despite not wanting to think or talk about it, Max knew that Rachel was genuinely sorry.

"I just like to joke around or play flirt," Rachel said. "Sometimes I forget that whenever I say or do things like that, it makes people upset or uncomfortable. I'm sorry if I've upset you."

"It's okay, Rachel," Max replied. She started to feel slightly nervous. She took a bite from her toast. "I just felt very weird seeing my best friend's girlfriend naked. I didn't want to be disrespectful… or perverted."

"We shared a bed together," Rachel giggled. She took a bite from her eggs and paused. "I'm just… I want to be sure that we're going to be comfortable around each other… I feel like it's what Chloe would have wanted."

Max looked at Rachel. She nodded and looked down at her plate.

"You're right, Rachel," Max said. "If we're one of the two important people in Chloe's life, we might as well get along… for Chloe."

"I've only known you for less than a day, and I already feel like connected with you," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Max said. "It's a weird feeling. I feel that way too."

They both smiled at each other. They finished their food. Rachel cleared the table and Max did the dishes. They went back upstairs into Chloe's room. Max went to grab her camera bag, then they walked back downstairs.

"So, how are we getting to the junkyard?" Rachel asked, standing by the front door, about to open it. "Uber? Walking? Bus?"

Max reached into the key bowl by the front door, grabbing a set of keys with a small panda keychain.

"Mmm. Not exactly, I'll show you," Max said.

Max walked into the living room toward the side door toward the garage. Rachel followed. Max opened the door and they walked into the garage. Rachel gasped.

Inside the garage, they were looking at a rusty, old pick-up truck. Chloe's truck.

"David keeps it running and maintains the engine…" Max said softly. "But he doesn't tidy it up or try to restore it. He keeps it the way Chloe left it."

Max looked at Rachel. She could see tears forming in Rachel's eyes.

"Wow…" Rachel said. "It looks just like how it did the last time I saw it."

Max opened the passenger door for Rachel who hopped in. Max walked to the garage door and lifted it open. She walked around the car to the driver's side, opened the door, and hopped inside as well.

"Oh man," Rachel said. "I didn't realize how much I actually missed this dingy old truck."

Rachel ran her hands along the seats and tapped the bobble head of Elvis Presley on the dashboard. She smiled and looked at Max.

"You ready?" Max asked, smiling back at Rachel.

"I'm hella ready," Rachel exclaimed.

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes:**

DISCLAIMER: The following chapter contains use of alcohol and marijuana. I am not sure how accepting or tolerant people reading this fan fiction are when it comes to alcohol and marijuana. Knowing that this is a _Life is Strange_ fan fiction, and knowing that Chloe (and Rachel) drank alcohol and smoked pot in the video games, I assume everyone will be comfortable with reading about the use of such substances in this context…

Don't freak out like David Madsen would! Haha! It's just Max and Rachel chilling out! I hope you hella enjoy this chapter! Please read the chapter _before_ you read the end notes at the bottom! Do not spoil yourself!

 **Chapter Six**

" _The unexplained and unexpected rain and thunderstorm, although short-lived, that occurred last night is puzzling local meteorologists. Only minor damages to homes and local business were found. No injuries or casualties. More at eleven o'clock this morning…"_

Max and Rachel looked at each other as they heard the radio host speak over the car speakers while driving toward the junkyard in Chloe's truck. Rachel reached over the radio dial and turned it off. They both sat in silence.

Rachel sighed and stuck her arm out the window, waving her hand up and down slowly against the rush of air as Max drove. Max glanced at Rachel.

" _Even with her hair flying everywhere from the wind, she still looks flawless,"_ Max thought.

Max kept her eyes on the road for the most part, occasionally getting distracted by Rachel's beauty. It warmed Max's heart seeing the familiar shops, buildings, and parks while driving around Arcadia Bay. Max was relieved that there were no major damages around town or injuries. The pair of them noticed several debris on the street from the rain and thunderstorm last night. They watched some townspeople clean up the streets with puzzled looks on their faces.

Sitting in between them was a blanket found in Chloe's truck that they folded and placed inside a tote bag. Also in the bag were a few snacks and a six-pack of beer to consume while they hung out at the hideout in the junkyard. Max had bought them at a gas station while Rachel stayed in the car, something Rachel did not want to do, but Max insisted to ensure that no one would see Rachel.

"Arcadia Bay hasn't changed much," Rachel said, looking out the window. "Still the same old, quirky hick town."

"But it's… sort of home, right?" Max chuckled, swiftly looking at Rachel and back on the road. "Definitely beats the L.A. traffic."

" _I sure hope no one outside notices Rachel Amber sitting in the front seat,"_ Max thought. _"People know whose truck this is… When they see this truck on the road, it's usually David or myself driving…"_

They made their way to the junkyard. Max parked Chloe's truck close to a pile of rusted cars stripped of their tires and windows. Max exited the truck, grabbing the tote bag of alcohol and snacks. She walked toward Chloe's and Rachel's hideout. She glanced at the truck behind her, watching Rachel walk out of the truck. Rachel gazed around her, feeling nostalgic in a place she and Chloe spent a lot of their time at. Max watched Rachel look around her in awe. She looked at the truck and smiled.

" _If anyone saw Chloe's beat-up pick-up truck,"_ Max thought. _"They would assume that it was just a part of the junkyard… It's no looker, but it's Chloe's..."_

Max walked in the familiar hideout made mostly of cinderblocks for the walls and wooden planks for the roof. She looked around. It always surprised her how things pretty much stayed the same in that hideout. The dartboard was still hung up on the wall with the darts wedged on it, the old makeshift benches were still against the wall, and the big, wooden, wire spool still stood by the benches, used as a table.

The elephant blanket still hung on the wall as well as the posters. Graffiti was still up just as Chloe and Rachel left it. The only difference were extra empty beer bottles and more pizza boxes cast aside or onto the ground. Max assumed it was from other kids who liked to hang out in the hideout too.

Max placed the tote bag onto the table. She finished looking around and smiled to herself. She looked at the doorway where Rachel stood. She saw the saddened, but longing look on Rachel's face.

"Wow…" Rachel sighed, feeling chills throughout her body. "It… it looks the same… Just as we left it."

"A lot of the townspeople and their kids knew you and Chloe hung out here," Max said. She smiled at Rachel, her eyes almost watering up. "David made a huge deal warning everyone in Arcadia Bay not to disturb this 'sacred space.' He didn't mind that other kids hung out here, but he wanted everyone to preserve it in memory of you two."

Rachel continued to scan the inside of the hideout. She laughed and smiled. Her eyes tearing up.

"David, you fucking awesome bastard," Rachel exclaimed. "Can't believe Private Pornstache did this… and maintains Chloe's truck..."

Max laughed at Rachel's joke. Rachel's eyes glazed over at the wall by a tiny window. She walked up to the wall and placed her hand on the familiar graffiti on it. It read: _"Chloe was here. Rachel was here."_

"God…" Rachel sighed. She sniffed and closed her eyes, letting the tears fall from her eyelashes. "I fucking miss her."

Rachel looked at Max. Max walked up to Rachel and held her hand tightly.

"I know, Rachel," Max said, holding back tears. "I fucking miss her too."

Rachel pulled Max into a hug. A moment after, Rachel slowly pulled away from Max's embrace. She looked right at Max.

"Why don't you mark it?" Rachel asked. "You're here too, Max."

Max smiled and looked down. She remembered tagging "Max was here" on the same wall under Chloe's and Rachel's handwriting in the alternate timeline. Since she traveled back in time, the writing was no longer there. She always felt bad for tagging under their graffiti, like she was intruding. But when she visited the hideout again a few years ago, she decided not to rewrite it.

"Ah, no, it's fine," Max said. "This is your guys' space. Not mine."

"It is now, Max," Rachel said. She picked up an old black marker from the shelf against the wall. She shook it, wondering if it still had ink. She handed it to Max. "Let the world know you were here."

Max took the marker from Rachel's hand. She uncapped the marker and began writing on the wall. She stepped aside and looked over what she just wrote. It now read… _"Chloe was here. Rachel was here. Max was here."_

"Now, we're officially a trio," Rachel said softly. She wrapped her arm around Max's back and placed her hand on Max's shoulder. Max capped the marker and placed it back on the shelf. She wrapped her arm around Rachel's back and placed her hand on Rachel's waist.

They both stared at the graffiti for a while. Max heard the dried, autumn leaves shaking softly on the trees outside. She heard the wind blowing a low, soft whistle. Several debris and fallen leaves rolled around outside the hideout. The breeze was strong enough to be felt through the windows and door of the hideout.

"Are you doing that?" Max asked, looking around and then at Rachel.

"Nope, not me," Rachel answered. They looked outside the window. A blue butterfly landed and perched itself on a pile of wooden planks outside. It slowly flapped its wings. Max recognized the butterfly. It looked very similar to the butterfly that she saw in the bathroom at Blackwell Academy… and on Chloe's casket during her funeral five years ago.

Max felt her heart skip a beat. She gasped. She and Rachel both watched the butterfly take flight and fly away toward the woods, leaving them in silence. The wind had stopped and the leaves on the trees stopped rustling.

"What a beautiful butterfly that was…" Rachel sighed. "That was… uh. A morpho… morpho didius, I think?"

"You study butterflies or something?" Max chuckled.

"Not exactly," Rachel replied. "When Chloe and I got our tattoos done, she wanted that butterfly included in her sleeve… She said it was her favorite butterfly."

Max remembered the tattoo on Chloe's right arm. She remembered the red flowing ribbon, the Hibiscus flowers, the skull, the thorns, and the blue butterflies taking flight.

"But what's it doing here?" Rachel continued. "They're only found in South America."

"Whoa, really?" Max asked.

"They're not native to Oregon," Rachel answered softly. "At least, not that I know of."

"Well, that's… strange…" Max replied.

"Ha! Maybe it's Chloe visiting us," Rachel joked, poking Max. "Since she got several of those butterflies tatted on her."

"Yeah…" Max said, looking at the woods outside the window. "Maybe… Do you believe in that? Like, spirit animals? Or spirits in general?"

"I'm on the fence, but I'd like to believe in them guiding us… protecting us," Rachel replied. "I'm open to that concept… What's your spirit animal?"

Max thought about the doe that she saw... or thought she saw... in the middle of the street during the storm last night. She remembered seeing the doe five years ago around town as well.

"I was told that a doe was my spirit animal," Max said softly. "Do you know yours?"

"Samuel, the janitor at Blackwell Academy, once told me that the blue jay was mine," Rachel said. "It inspired me to wear this blue jay feather as an earring on my left ear…"

Max glanced at Rachel's left ear. She saw the familiar blue feather earring that Rachel wore. It appeared tattered and worn, but it was still a beautiful blue.

Rachel walked to the benches across the room. She sat down. Max turned around and walked toward her.

Max grabbed a bottle of beer from the tote bag and popped the beer open. She handed it to Rachel who took it. She opened another one for herself.

"To Chloe," Max said. She lifted her beer bottle and tilted it toward Rachel. Rachel tilted her beer bottle toward Max.

"To Chloe," Rachel repeated.

They toasted their bottles in a loud clink and took a long swig of beer, both almost drinking more than half of theirs. Max bit her lip, enjoying the bubbling sensation from the alcohol in her mouth, and sat next to Rachel. Rachel gently rolled her beer bottle in the palm of her hands, looking at the ground for a moment.

Max remembered the first time she visited this hideout. It was when she collected five bottles around the junkyard for Chloe's shooting range. It was also the day she met Frank… and almost shot him… Luckily the gun was out of bullets. Max sighed and asked Rachel a question she has been meaning to ask.

"Are you planning on meeting Frank again?" Max asked.

Rachel looked at Max guiltily.

"I… I don't know, really," Rachel replied. She sighed and shook her head. "I was thinking about it on our way over here… but I don't think it would be a good idea, you know? It would be nice to see him. How is he?"

"Well, he still lives alone in his RV with Pompidou… he doesn't sell drugs anymore, though…," Max said. "When he's not fishing on his boat with his crew, they sell fish at the markets in town."

"What? Frank's got a boat now?" Rachel replied surprised. She chuckled. "Glad to know he's doing alright… I sure do miss Pompidou."

They were silent for a moment.

Rachel then placed her beer bottle on the table and reached into her pocket. She held a dime bag of marijuana in between her forefinger and thumb. Rachel also took out several joints from her other pocket. It was the same dime bag of weed and the same joints in Chloe's tin box in her room. Rachel wiggled the bag and giggled. Max, who was taking a sip of her beer, nearly spat her beer out.

"You brought it?" Max exclaimed, chuckling. "You're insane!"

"Aw, come on!" Rachel laughed. "To commemorate Chloe!"

"We can't smoke that!" Max laughed too. "It's five years old!"

"Yeah, and? Maybe it aged nicely and it's packed with hella THC!" Rachel chuckled. "I also took Chloe's lighter and pipe."

"That's not how THC potency works… I think," Max laughed and shook her head. "What if it has mold in it?"

"Whatever, I'm going for it," Rachel said. Rachel smiled to herself proudly. She placed the rest of the weed on the table, and lit one of the joints with Chloe's lighter. She took a puff. Rachel immediately coughed while smiling. "Oh man! It's disgusting!"

Max laughed, but Rachel took another puff, inhaled, held her breath, and slowly let it out. A cloud of smoke blowing from her lips.

"Well, it's definitely shit weed now," Rachel said. "Not the quality Chloe would've liked. But fuck it. Wanna hit?"

Rachel held the joint between her forefinger and thumb toward Max. Max stared at the joint, contemplating.

Max was not much of a cannabis fan. She did not really liked the smell nor the effects of marijuana. It often made her too sleepy or too lazy to function. Max thought about the reason why she started drinking alcohol, and it was shortly after Chloe died. Max was not in a good place and turned to alcohol for a while.

It was only for a few months, and she recouped. Now, she rarely drank alcohol. However, she definitely smoked pot only in occasional social settings with her friends in Los Angeles. Besides, marijuana was legal in California—and Oregon too.

"Fuck it," Max said. She took the joint and placed it between her lips. She inhaled, held her breath, and slowly let it out a plume of smoke as well. She handed it back to Rachel.

Rachel leaned back and rested her back on the wall. Rachel closed her eyes. Max leaned backwards as well, resting her back on the wall. Max felt the cool surface of the cinderblocks. They stayed silent for a moment. Then Rachel spoke.

"If you were there when Chloe got shot…" Rachel said. "Did you try to reverse time? …Or did you not have your time-reversing powers yet?"

Max looked at her beer bottle, swinging it back and forth slowing in her hand, swishing the alcohol inside. She paused thinking of her answer. It was time to tell Rachel.

"I did. I reversed time to save Chloe..." Max responded. "That's… that's actually when I discovered my powers."

Rachel looked at Max attentively, allowing Max to speak. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.

"I was in the girls' bathroom at Blackwell, took a photo of a blue butterfly—the same one we just saw outside—heard Nathan storm in, then Chloe…" Max continued. "They were talking, like I mentioned yesterday about Chloe black mailing him… and then I saw Nathan pulled out the gun… and then…"

Max looked at the ground. She did not have to finish her sentence. Rachel placed a hand on Max's shoulder.

"…So I reached my hand out… I screamed 'No!'" Max continued. "And then I was taken back to my photography class… Literally the same class and the same time… just a few minutes _before_ what I witnessed in the bathroom."

"And you ran back in the bathroom?" Rachel asked. She gulped her beer and puffed the joint, handing it to Max.

"Yeah… I ran back as quickly as I could," Max replied, nodding her head. She took a puff from the joint and closed her eyes. "I set the fire alarm off before it was too late… They both ran out of there alive."

"Holy shit…" Rachel said, almost whispering. "You fucking reversed time… and saved Chloe…"

"Yeah… it freaked me out," Max said. "But it was real… I can't fast forward time, though."

"But… if you saved her… how is Chloe still dead then?" Rachel asked. She downed her beer and placed the empty bottle back inside the bag. She took a puff from the joint that was now burned down to a tiny piece.

Max felt a sting in her heart. Her throat constricted. It was difficult talking about this, but she had to continue.

"Yesterday you said that my powers were limited and that I couldn't bring people back from the dead," Max said. "I tried to explain, but you interrupted me… And you were sort of right."

Rachel was silent.

"It _is_ possible for me to bring people back from the dead…" Max answered. "And I've already saved Chloe from dying… a dozen times."

"Dozens? I… I don't understand…" Rachel asked. She opened another bottle of beer slowly and took a sip.

"I tried saving her… multiple times," Max said. "We always encountered ways she would get injured or killed… It was out of our control. I could rewind time all I wanted, but there was this force that just... tried to kill her."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked. Her voice was breaking.

Max took a giant gulp from her beer, finishing the bottle. She placed it in the bag, grabbed other bottle, and opened it. She took a long swig before speaking again. She sighed.

"When I saved Chloe, the weather started to behave abnormally in the few days following… it started to snow in 80-degree weather," Max said. Her voice was low, almost a whisper, as if she was worried that talking about the strange events from five years ago would jinx it to happen again. "There was an unscheduled solar eclipse, dead birds were all over town, dead whales were beached, and two moons appeared in the sky… all weather anomalies... all unexplainable."

"Whoa… what the fuck?" Rachel said softly.

"Yeah…" Max sighed.

Max grabbed a joint from the table. She lit it and took a puff. Rachel had smashed the tiny piece of the first joint on the table, putting the embers out. Max handed the new joint to Rachel who also took a puff.

"And… and there was a tornado that formed in the waters of the bay…" Max continued. "It and could have wiped away Arcadia Bay, destroy the whole entire town, and kill everyone… Chaos rose. I saw tears in the fabric of the time and space continuum."

"But… that didn't happen," Rachel responded, saying it more as a statement rather than asking Max.

"Yeah, it didn't happen… At least not in this timeline…" Max replied. "Chloe and I both realized that all the weather anomalies occurred after Chloe was saved, and the anomalies continued after saving her the many times that I did…"

Rachel placed the joint on the table, letting it burn. She placed her beer bottle on the table too. She looked at the ground. Max saw that Rachel closed her eyes, wondering if Rachel was trying to make sense of what Max was saying or if she was trying not to cry. Max continued to talk.

"Chloe told me that we had to accept our fate… that to let her die was the only way… After saving her, I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything," Max said. "If I saved Chloe instead of Arcadia Bay, who knows what other natural occurrences and disasters could have formed?"

"Chaos Theory," Rachel whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Max asked, slightly shocked that Rachel spoke very calmly.

"Everything happens for a reason, and if you alter the initial condition—even a small change—you can create unpredictable chaos…" Rachel answered. She looked at Max. "That's Chaos Theory."

Max nodded. She held Rachel's hand, which rested on Rachel's lap.

"Rachel…" Max said. "Chloe was _meant_ to die."

Rachel gripped Max's hand. Rachel let out a small sniffle.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel…" Max said. "I… I really wanted Chloe to live—"

"—I understand, Max. It was Chloe's fate," Rachel said, her voice raspy. "You can bring someone back to life, but when it fucks with destiny, the universe tries to balance itself… by being a fucking drama queen."

Max and Rachel chuckled. Rachel moved closer to Max and embraced her. Max held her close and tightly too. Rachel stopped sniffling and calmed down. After a moment, she slowly pulled away from Max.

"So… why did people think I was dead?" Rachel asked. Max saw that Rachel looked a bit nervous and was bracing herself. Max took a deep breath before answering.

"After telling and demonstrating my time-rewind powers to Chloe," Max said. "We basically used my time-rewinding powers to try to investigate where you've gone and why you were missing… To sum it all up, we made the mistake of assuming Nathan had to do with you being missing... We found a bunker of these folders of… horrible, upsetting photos of so many girls drugged up and tied up—"

Rachel quickly stood up, almost knocking over the table. She held her hands on her hips. Rachel turned her head quickly and looked at Max. Max felt her eyes sting. She tried so hard not to cry. She looked up at Rachel.

"It was Mark Jefferson, the photography teacher at Blackwell Academy, this whole time…" Max said, almost in a whisper. "It wasn't Nathan who drugged you up… We found photos of you lying next to him… you both looked knocked out. You guys looked… dead."

"And… and the body?" Rachel asked. "You… you mentioned that the police found my 'missing body.'"

"After Chloe and I made the wrong assumption thinking that it was Nathan behind the reason you were missing," Max said. "We went here to the junkyard… where the photos lead us… and we dug at the same spot where you were lying on the ground…"

Max paused.

"And we dug until we… we found a body," Max said.

"Did you get a good look at it?" Rachel asked. She was pacing around the hideout. She gripped the beer bottle in her hand tightly. "Did you stare long enough?"

"What?" Max asked. "Why would we—?"

"—Because it was definitely not me," Rachel replied. She patted her chest twice. "I'm here! I'm alive!"

"We thought it was you…" Max said. "Chloe was so sure that it was…"

"But you didn't get a better look," Rachel responded. "What about the autopsy? How did my parents confirm that it was me or not?"

"In this timeline… when the police discovered your body—I mean, _the_ body… forensics records stated that they found a blue, plaid shirt that belonged to you worn by the body," Max said. She stood up and walked toward Rachel. "There was blood on the shirt. They DNA tested it, and it was positive that it was yours—they confirmed that it was your blood, Rachel..."

Max looked at Rachel for a response. Rachel's face was serious, concentrating almost.

"Go on, Max," Rachel said.

"The chief medical examiner called your parents to update them of what they found," Max continued. "And then your parents immediately called off the autopsy… they refused to let forensics continue their tests… They asked the police and investigators to close the case of you missing… and the body was immediately cremated."

"Why?" Rachel asked. She rubbed her cheek with her hand, taking the information in.

"Your parents spent months looking all over for you, Rachel," Max responded. "They were in denial that you were missing or… dead… and when they received that news, it hit them. It hit them hard... What they were worried about actually came true to them… They assumed you had actually died…"

"So, they gave up?!" Rachel said angrily. She kicked an empty beer bottle on the floor. It flew toward the wall and shattered. She threw the beer bottle in her hand onto the ground where it broke into pieces. Beer splashed onto the ground. "They just assumed that the DNA finding was legit?!"

Max flinched. "Yeah. Pretty much…"

"And you believed it too?" Rachel turned around to look at Max. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I… well, of course," Max said. "Chloe… the police… we all thought it _really_ was you…"

"So, what happened?" Rachel asked. "You wanna talk about Mark Jefferson?"

Max closed her eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of emotion and frustration… she was also worried about Rachel.

"Back to the timeline when I saved Chloe, after we found the body, Jefferson showed up, drugged me, and shot Chloe," Max replied.

"That piece of shit," Rachel laughed angrily. "That fucking, insane asshole."

Max can see that Rachel was no longer crying, but her face was red with fury. Max glanced outside the windows, worried that a storm would brew from Rachel being angry, but the day was still clear outside. Max understood why Rachel was so upset… Rachel was disappointed knowing that her parents gave up on her so easily and accepted that she was dead without a proper autopsy…

" _If her emotions become extreme…,"_ Max thought. _"Let's hope another storm doesn't come."_

"In the alternate timeline, Jefferson took me to his bunker. I was tied up," Max explained. "He started taking photos of me while I was drugged up. He did the same to Victoria—"

"—Victoria Chase too?" Rachel hissed. "Jefferson, you fucking psycho."

"He really was psycho…" Max continued. "To sum every fucking crazy detail up… I was able to use my time-rewind powers to end up back in class, before everything started. Then I texted David that Jefferson was guilty. I told David to go to the location of his bunker to stop Jefferson… at his fucked up Dark Room under the Prescotts' farmhouse."

"And Jefferson was stopped?" Rachel asked.

Max nodded. "Eventually, David showed up and apprehended him," she said. "But not without a fight… Then I went back in time to find Chloe… To tell her everything that happened. This was in the alternate timeline…"

Rachel sat back down on the bench. She shook her head, but she was still listening to Max. She grabbed the joint that burned on the table, placed it between her lips, and smoked it.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I know it's all so convoluted and hard to understand," Max said. She sat back down next to Rachel. "But I knew I was fucking up all these alternate realities."

"And you knew that Chloe had to die to prevent Arcadia Bay from getting destroyed from that tornado…" Rachel added. "So, you went back in time… went to the bathroom… basically wiping out everything that ever happened… and you let Chloe get shot."

Max nodded. She looked away from Rachel. She rested her elbows on her knees and looked at the ground.

"And Jefferson was arrested," Rachel added. "I read it on the newspapers... but nothing about dead bodies… just his perverted photo collection… no names were mentioned for privacy…"

"Yeah, in this timeline… I told David about Jefferson, and Jefferson was arrested. Joyce and David found out about Chloe's death, and Nathan was initially arrested and sent to juvie…," Max explained. "But his parents bailed him out and he was sent to a rehabilitation institution, like I mentioned yesterday. The forensics test of the body that was thought to be yours happened in this timeline… the timeline we are in now."

"I gathered," Rachel responded. "This is a lot to take in…"

Max scoffed. She looked at Rachel comfortingly. "Yeah, no kidding…"

They were silent for a moment.

"A-are you okay?" Max asked.

"I'm… fine," Rachel said softly. "Thanks."

"I guess you'd like for me to show you my time-rewinding powers," Max said.

"I mean… I believe you, Max," Rachel said. "No need to show me… But do you… still use it?"

"Ha! No way," Max replied. "Not in five years… No way was I ever going to fuck with time, space, and the goddamn universe anymore…"

Rachel nodded. She understood.

"What I don't understand is… how could the body they found _not_ be you?" Max asked. She ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head.

"I guess this is where my story comes in," Rachel smiled nervously. "And where I've been this whole time."

"I mean… they found your blood and your shirt—your parents confirmed that that was your shirt!" Max said.

"But I guess they didn't confirm my body, huh?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

"Nope," Max said. "Your dad told the authorities that the case should be closed. They cremated the body. Didn't even look at it to be sure."

"Well, aren't they stupid?" Rachel hissed. "But they were right… That was absolutely my shirt… and definitely my blood."

"—Are you immortal?" Max exclaimed. She gasped in awe. "Holy shit! Is that a part of your powers too—?"

"—No, calm down! I am not immortal, Max," Rachel responded, almost laughing. "And I can only control the weather as far as I'm concerned."

"But how did your shirt get there… buried with the body?" Max asked. Her heart raced. She was nervous and eager to finally hear Rachel's story. "And whose body is it?"

"The body that was found wasn't mine," Rachel responded. "It was Kelly's."

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

I knew it was going to be difficult to write about Max trying to explain to Rachel about the entirety of the _Life is Strange 1_ plot. I basically speak through Max when she said "every fucking crazy detail" was so "convoluted." Haha! I figured that the dialogue between Max and Rachel in this chapter was sufficient enough for Rachel to understand Max's time-rewinding-and-sacrificing-Chloe story. Thank you for reading and for your continued support!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes:**

TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains a scene of violence that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised! FLASHBACKS! Time for Rachel's story!

Also, I changed the title of this fan fiction! I decided on the change because "Death is Strange" was a bland title and not polished. It was a working title. It wasn't unique or distinct to this story. The "Death" in the previous "Death is Strange" title referred to Chloe's and Rachel's "Death." And of course, it was a play on the original game title. It was time for a proper name for this story! Thank you for reading!

 **Chapter Seven**

"Kelly…" Max whispered, looking at the ground, concentrating. She definitely remembered that name from somewhere. "Oh, my gosh… The red folders! Jefferson's collection of photos of those girls! Kelly was the name on the folder before yours! She… she was a victim of Jefferson."

"Unfortunately, yes," Rachel said, peering inside her bottle of beer. "I… I barely knew her…"

"Did… did she go to Blackwell Academy too?" Max asked. She tried to remember a Kelly who went to Blackwell Academy, but she could not think of one that she met… just the name "Kelly Davis" that was labeled on Room 217 in a floorplan that she saw in her nightmare during the storm five years ago… the one she woke up from before she decided to sacrifice Chloe.

"Kelly Davis?" Max continued. "Is that her? When it got to the point that my time-rewinding powers were creating tears in the time and space continuum… I saw her name on the door of one of the girls' dorm rooms at school."

"No, Kelly Davis had to move to Germany after her dad got stationed in Stuttgart," Rachel replied. She watched the smoke drift in the air from the joint in between her fingers. She turned to Max. "And Stella Hill moved into her room shortly after that."

" _Lua, Suzie, Ashley, Megan, Alexis, Brittany..."_ Max remembered some of the names of the other victims of Mark Jefferson. Their names were written on the spines of the red folders inside his cabinet of is secret office/photo studio called The Dark Room. Max thought about Kate Marsh, her good friend from Blackwell Academy. Her name was on the folder after Rachel's. _"And Kate was a victim too… just to name a few of the dozens of girls…"_

" _Speaking of Kate, I saw the name 'Lynn' on one of the red folders too,"_ Max recalled in her mind. _"Kate told me about her little sister named Lynn who was ten years old that year. Thank goodness they were not the same person… I guess Kelly and Lynn are names that are pretty popular than I thought…"_

"Who was this… other Kelly?" Max asked.

Rachel finished smoking the second joint. She placed it on the table, putting out the embers. She grabbed another bottle of beer, opened it, and sipped it. "She is… was this… model. One who used to work with Jefferson back in New York City. He took photos of her… I think they briefly dated… at least that's what it seemed like."

"How… how do you know all this?" Max asked as she finished her second bottle of beer and grabbed the third and last one from the tote bag. She opened it, took a sip, and sat still, bracing herself for Rachel's story. She was not sure if she was more saddened or angered.

"I heard it from Jefferson… They were talking…" Rachel replied solemnly. "I… I watched her die, Max…"

"Holy shit… I-I'm so sorry, Rachel!" Max whispered. "You heard them talk? What… what happened?"

Rachel paused before she answered. She closed her eyes. Thinking about this particular memory in her life was difficult for her. She knew that she will never recover from the horrible memory she was about to share with Max…

A chill, autumn breeze blew through the windows and door of the hideout. It did not stop. Rachel sighed. Max felt chills on her arm and she shivered. She moved closer to Rachel without thinking.

"So much for this weed trying to keep us warm," Max chuckled. "Are you feeling high yet? Or buzzed? I think I'm building a tolerance—"

"—I'll make the wind stop if you'd like," Rachel replied. "And are you kidding? This alcohol and pot is nothing more than a piece of garlic bread for me."

They chuckled.

"Is stopping the wind… a good idea, Rachel?" Max asked. "We just talked about Chaos Theory."

"We'll be fine," Rachel replied, she shrugged her shoulders. "I've done this several times before and nothing crazy happens."

Max worriedly looked at Rachel, but she trusted her. She looked at the time on her phone. She did not realize how much time has passed. It was already noon. She felt another burst of wind circulate in the hideout coming from the windows and doorway. She heard the leaves on the trees outside rustle from the wind.

Max wondered if any teenagers of Arcadia Bay were planning on visiting the hideout later in the afternoon. It was a Saturday and they often congregated here.

" _What would they think if they saw Rachel?"_ Max thought. _"Would they even recognize her? …Or worse, what if David stops by like he often does?"_

The thought faded from Max's mind as soon as she noticed Rachel closing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows. She watched as Rachel clenched one of her fists slowly. Rachel was concentrating.

Max took a sip of her beer as she watched Rachel "work her magic." Soon, the wind outside stopped. Max no longer felt the breeze through the windows and doorway, nor heard the shaking of leaves from the trees outside.

Rachel stood up, grabbed the folded blanket from the bag on the table and shook it open. She laid it across her lap and legs as well as Max's. Max immediately felt very cozy. She noticed how the smell of the blanket smelled a bit like a mixture of a mechanic's garage and Chloe's scent. It did not bother her, though.

"This should keep us warm as well," Rachel smiled. She sipped her beer, edging closer to Max's side. "So… back to Kelly…"

Max felt her stomach ache. A sad thought came up in her mind, one that she had to brace herself to know, but she wanted to know.

"How… how did Jefferson kill her?" Max asked, wincing. She felt her body warm up, not sure if it was from the blanket or from sitting very close to Rachel who placed some of her weight onto Max's shoulder. Max realized that she was getting used to being around Rachel or having some physical contact with her.

Rachel looked at Max with sad eyes. She sighed and shook her head.

"…It happened in the Dark Room," Rachel began…

 _April 22, 2013_

Rachel leaned against the wall by the snack and refreshments table. She felt the bass of the loud music booming through her body. She surveyed everything and everyone around her. So many students were dancing, laughing, smiling… all enjoying a fun party in Blackwell Academy's gymnasium. It did not matter if they were jocks, geeks, hipsters—everyone looked to be having a good time.

Rachel nervously played with the blue, feathered earring on her left ear, twirling it gently around her finger. She was waiting for Chloe to arrive. Her head gently bobbed up and down with the music.

" _This is going to be the first dance where we go as a real couple,"_ Rachel thought. _"I wonder what Chloe is going to wear… or what people will think… I'm so glad I convinced her to go!"_

Rachel looked down at her feet and her outfit. Rachel had worn a pair of black, Converse shoes, a pair of ripped short shorts, one of Chloe's Firewalk band T-shirts… and a blue collared, long-sleeve, buttoned-up shirt. Her dark, blonde hair was down as usual.

It was not a formal dance. It was a party hosted by the Vortex Club in honor of welcoming the famous photographer, Mark Jefferson, for joining Blackwell Academy's staff as the new photographer teacher. The party was also a goodbye celebration for the former photography teacher who was retiring this semester. Rachel could not believe that Mark Jefferson was a teacher at her school! Even after a month of being in his class, she was still excited to have the talented Mark Jefferson as her teacher.

"Hey Rachel!" A voice was heard close by Rachel. Rachel turned around. It was Justin Williams walking up to her, one of Rachel's skater friends. "Where's Chloe? The party ends in like an hour!"

"Hey Justin!" Rachel said. Just held his closed fist toward Rachel for a fist bump. She touched her knuckles against Justin's, and she shook her head, smiling. "She said she was on her way. She has to sneak out of the house because she's grounded again or some shit. You having fun?"

"Hell yeah, bro!" Justin exclaimed. Rachel noticed that Justin's voice sounded like he might have been a little drunk or high. His glasses were a bit lop-sided. "But that sucks about Chloe. Hope she makes it in time! Speaking of sneaking out… I snuck in some booze! Want some?"

Justin pulled a silver flask from his jacket pocket, quickly showing Rachel, and then placed it back in his jacket pocket.

"Trevor and the guys are in the bathroom ripping a bong, too, if you want to join!" Justin giggled. "Let Chloe know!"

"That sounds like hella fun, but I'm fine," Rachel chuckled. "Thanks for the offer! Better not get caught again, Justin!"

"No promises! Alright, Rachel! See you around!" Justin awkwardly hugged Rachel and then walked to the dancing crowd, almost wobbling.

Rachel glanced at her phone, rereading the text messages and answering, her thumbs typing swiftly.

" _Running late! Sorry!"_ Chloe's text said. _"I promise I'll be there in a few!"_

" _Better not bail on me! You're my plus-one! This dance is definitely not fun without you,"_ Rachel's text read. _"Just because you're expelled from BlackHELL doesn't mean you're not invited to the dances!"_

" _Wait. Is this a formal dance?"_ Chloe texted.

" _No, why?"_ Rachel replied.

" _Shit. I'm wearing suspenders and a tie,"_ Chloe replied. _"I even fixed my hair for this!"_

" _That sounds hot,"_ Rachel responded, she chuckled, biting her lower lip. _"Just come as you are!"_

" _Argh! Okay! See you later!"_ was Chloe's next text. _"Love you!"_

" _Love you too!"_ Rachel replied. Her heart fluttered. She added a kissing face emoji to spite Chloe.

Chloe responded back, _"NO EMOJI!"_

Rachel smiled, looking at the background photo of her cellphone's screen. It was a scanned film strip from when they were in a photo booth. The photo was taken in the middle of Rachel tickling Chloe's sides from behind. They were smiling and laughing happily.

"What are you smiling about, Rachel?" Rachel heard the familiar, pretentious voice of Victoria Chase beside her. She looked up and rolled her eyes. "Already done sulking over your pet Kari Price getting expelled? That freak deserves it."

"It's not a Vortex Club party or meeting without Bitch-toria Chase insulting someone, is it?" Rachel scoffed. "Did you just come up to me to troll or are you going to ask me to dance?"

"Ew! Don't make me puke," Victoria scowled. After several seconds, her face relaxed and she looked at Rachel solemnly. "…I'm just here to ask if you've seen Nathan around."

Rachel noticed Victoria's demeanor go from condescending to concerning. Rachel never really considered herself good friends with Victoria, but they both got along through being friends with Nathan. They both knew that he was not in the best mental health.

Even though Victoria and Nathan were often rude and gave Rachel so much grief, Rachel cared about her classmates. Victoria and Rachel were the only two people in Nathan's life who actually cared for his mental well-being.

"I have not," Rachel replied. "Hopefully not drinking or getting high… Pretty sure he can't be messing with that crap when he's on his meds… He knows. He'll be fine." Rachel almost wanted to believe it herself.

"I just… Vortex Club members need to take care of each other, you know?" Victoria began. Then, it was as if she immediately realized that she was being too nice, and scowled at Rachel again. "Despite how much I thought it was a bad idea letting you in, that is."

"I will be on the lookout for him tonight," Rachel responded, rolling her eyes again. "I'm sure I'll see him and I'm sure he's okay." Rachel blew a kiss at Victoria, trying to gross her out or irritate her.

"Ugh! Gross!" Victoria glared and scoffed. She quickly turned on her heels and walked away.

Rachel shook her head. She glanced at her phone and began texting Chloe.

" _Victoria's being a bitch again. Where are you?"_ Rachel texted. " _Save me! I'm dying over here! LOL!"_

Rachel waited, staring into the text messenger window for a reply from Chloe. After a few moments of not receiving one, Rachel sighed and closed her eyes. She leaned against the gymnasium wall feeling the vibrations from the loud music bouncing off the wall.

" _I hope Chloe didn't get caught trying to sneak out,"_ Rachel thought, closing her eyes. _"I swear, Joyce is going to take her cars keys away again."_

"Excuse me, uh… Ms. Amber?" Someone had walked up to Rachel. She glanced up. It was Mark Jefferson.

"Oh, h-hi!" Rachel responded nervously. "Good evening, Mr. Jefferson!"

"Enjoying the party?" Mr. Jefferson responded. He stood beside Rachel, leaning against the wall with her with his arms crossed.

"Yes," Rachel responded shyly. "Are you?"

"Eh, I'm more of a soiree type of guy," Mr. Jefferson said smugly, shaking his head, looking at the dancers in front of them. "High school parties are definitely not my thing. Never was. But I appreciate the… ceremony anyway."

" _Mr. Jefferson can be a bit of a snob, and annoyingly classy_ ,"Rachel thought. _"The guy is charming, nonetheless."_

"Go Bigfoots," Rachel said sarcastically, as a group of girls were chasing and yelling after a group of giggling guys. They were all holding silly string cans and spraying them at each other.

"So, how is your first week teaching here in Blackwell Academy?" Rachel asked.

"Well, Arcadia Bay isn't as très chic as New York City or as street glam as Los Angeles," Mr. Jefferson scoffed and smirked. "But Oregon's got some charm. I like the quiet."

"Tell me about it," Rachel replied, playfully running her fingers through her hair. "I'm from California. I would love to go back."

"I knew a striking girl like you with artistic talent wasn't from here," Mr. Jefferson said. "Acting, modeling, singing, photography—what _can't_ you do?"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jefferson." Rachel said. "That means a lot!"

Mr. Jefferson winked at Rachel.

Normally, a wink from anyone besides Chloe would make her feel uncomfortable and would make her roll her eyes or scowl back at them. But Rachel smiled back politely.

" _Am I actually attracted to my teacher?"_ Rachel thought. _"Or am I just star-struck?"_

"Shall I get you something to drink?" Mr. Jefferson asked. "Or a snack to eat?"

"No, that's fine, thank you. I'll be heading out for dinner out soon." Rachel replied, remembering that she was supposed to be on the lookout for Chloe. "Congratulations and welcome to Blackwell Academy once again!"

She glanced at her phone wondering if Chloe called or texted. There were no new notifications. She was starting to grow impatient and worried.

"You waiting for someone? You've been standing here all evening," Mr. Jefferson said. "Very unusual of you not to be surrounded by a group of people."

Rachel blushed and looked down. "Yeah, I'm waiting for my girlfriend—a girlfriend."

"Is she on the way?" Mr. Jefferson asked.

"She said she was," Rachel responded. She stood on the tip of her toes, scanning over the tops of people's heads and through the crowd of students in the gymnasium. She glanced at the entrances and exits. No sign of Chloe.

"I was about to go outside to get some fresh air. Maybe call it a night." Mr. Jefferson said. "Would you like to join me? We can wait for your… girlfriend… at the parking lot."

"S-sure!" Rachel figured if she really wanted to make sure that Chloe arrived, she would be able to know by seeing her old, rusty truck driving into the parking lot.

They began making their way toward the giant exit doors, squeezing through dancing students and rowdy party goers. Mr. Jefferson opened the door, allowing Rachel to exit first. He followed after, and closed the doors behind Rachel. They walked toward the main entrance door when Mr. Jefferson stopped walking. Rachel turned around.

"Hang on, Ms. Amber," Mr. Jefferson said. He began walking down the dimly-lit hallways that lead to the photography classroom. "I've forgotten something in class."

"I'll wait here," Rachel replied. She glanced at her phone again expecting a text or call from Chloe. Her phone screen was clear of notifications. Rachel sighed.

"Would you like to see the new Oregon portfolio that I'm working on?" Mr. Jefferson asked, almost eagerly. "You'd be the first to see it. You have a great eye, Rachel. Maybe you can give me some feedback!"

Rachel's face lit up. She felt very flattered that a professional photographer like Mark Jefferson wanted her feedback.

" _I bet it looks remarkable!"_ Rachel thought. _"I guess I'll give it a look!"_

Rachel followed Mr. Jefferson down the long hallway. They walked down between the lockers to the farthest classroom down the hall, the photography class. Rachel glanced at the lockers and classroom doors as she walked by. She peered through the glass windows of the doors into the classrooms that were dark inside. She found it very eerie.

" _Never got used to being at school after sunset,"_ Rachel thought. _"No matter how many school plays I've been in… this school freaks me out at night."_

They reached the door to the photography class. Mr. Jefferson reached into his pocket to open the door with a set of keys. He opened the door and allowed Rachel inside. She walked in and Mr. Jefferson flicked the light switch on. She stood and watched him open his desk drawer, pick up a red folder, and hand it to Rachel. Mr. Jefferson continued to look through his desk.

Rachel placed the folder on one of the tables and opened it. Her eyes gleamed in wonder. She was speechless.

She saw photos of fisherman's boats, semi-trucks, portraits of fishermen and truckers, photos of rusted cars in the junkyard, an old mill, trains on train tracks, landscapes of Arcadia Bay's forests, the shoreline, and the famous lighthouse on the cliff over-looking the bay.

"Wow, Mr. Jefferson… These are incredible!" Rachel sighed in wonder. "This one reminds me of Ansel Adams' work! This one is very Henri Cartier-Bresson… or Charles Nègre! These are… just wow…"

"I feel like you're insulting those geniuses, Ms. Amber," Mr. Jefferson chuckled. "But thank you. They are a few of my inspirations."

Rachel continued to look through Mr. Jefferson's photography portfolio. She was immersed in the photos. Mr. Jefferson continued to open and close drawers on his desk.

"Maybe one day, we should have a photography day. We can explore Arcadia Bay and just shoot," Mr. Jefferson suggested. He began walking toward Rachel slowly.

"As a class field trip?" Rachel asked, not looking up from the folder. "Yeah! You gotta show the class where you've taken these photos! I've lived here for ages, but I've never seen—"

Rachel felt an excruciating sting on the side of her neck. She gasped and yelped. She turned around and shot a shocked look up at Mr. Jefferson. She clasped her neck and fell onto the floor. She landed hard on her right hip, the pain radiating in her neck and hip.

"Wha—what… the fuck?" Rachel whimpered weakly on her knees with one hand on the floor supporting her weight, and her hand still on her neck. "Mr. Jefferson—?"

Rachel gasped and groaned. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. The pain throbbed on her hip and her neck. She felt her body becoming limp and weak. She glanced at Mr. Jefferson's hand. He held a syringe with a large needle in his hand and a small glass bottle in the other. He was also wearing medical gloves.

Rachel felt her phone begin to vibrate continuously in her pocket. She reached into her pocket, trying to take her phone out, but she was losing control of her hands, barely able to move her fingers. Struggling to hold her phone, she glanced at the screen. Her vision was starting to blur and her phone felt like a million tons.

" _Chloe calling"_ was read on the screen. Rachel saw the familiar photo of her and Chloe. She tried to move her thumb to press and slide the green answer button upward, but Mr. Jefferson kicked her phone from her hand. Her phone bounced and tumbled a few feet away.

"Looks like your girlfriend's finally here, wondering where you are," Mr. Jefferson sneered. His voice sounding sinister now. "What would she think knowing that you ditched her?"

"C-Chloe…" Rachel groaned softly. She could not feel her face and it was difficult to talk, much less support herself up.

"Rachel Amber… the artiste whore of Blackwell Academy…" Mark said. "Would she think that you left her for someone else? Everyone knows how… sexually popular you are."

Rachel began to drag herself across the floor toward her phone, trying to crawl. She dragged her weight with her forearms, but Mr. Jefferson placed his shoe onto her waist, and kicked her hard. Rachel tipped over and fell completely onto the floor, lying on her side. She screamed in pain. She felt like the breath was knocked out of her lungs. Tears were forming in her eyes and slowly rolling from the corners. Her body felt cold. She looked up a Mr. Jefferson. "W-why…"

Mr. Jefferson lowered himself and squatted beside Rachel. He pushed a lock of Rachel's hair behind her left ear. He gently touched her blue, feathered earring, and then caressed her neck where he had injected the syringe.

"To answer your question," Mr. Jefferson said coldly, looking down at Rachel. "We won't be going on a field trip as a class."

Rachel was completely immobile. Her breathing had slowed down and it took all her strength to keep her eyes open. She could hear the continuous vibrations of her phone against the cold, hard classroom floor. She grew very disoriented and sleepy.

"Unfortunately… only you will be going," Mr. Jefferson growled.

Rachel saw Mr. Jefferson and her surroundings become blurry before her eyes. She felt her body stiffen. She could barely hear the vibration of her phone by now.

Rachel closed her eyes, and everything faded to black.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

It is October 11th! Happy Arcadia Bay Storm Day! Did you save Arcadia Bay or did you save Chloe?


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes:**

TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains a scene of violence and inappropriate sexual content that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!

FLASHBACKS! Time for more of Rachel's story! Thank you very much to the readers who continue to read this story! I appreciate the love and support!

 **Chapter Eight**

"Have you seen Rachel?!"

"Nah, sorry, dude."

"Was Rachel at the party?"

"Yeah, earlier, but I don't know where she went."

"Do you know if Rachel is still—?"

"—Chloe! Looking great in that tie! What's up?"

"I'm… I'm looking for Rachel. She's not answering her phone…"

" _Chloe…? Where are you…?"_ Rachel thought. She was slowly waking up. Her eyes tried to pry themselves open. _"What the fuck is going on…? Chloe, I need you…"_

Rachel was lying on her side. She could hear the voices of her classmates. They were slightly muffled, but they were still easy to hear. Among the voices, she heard Chloe's. Rachel's heart ached. She has never been so scared and relieved at the same time by hearing Chloe's voice. She felt the tears stream down her face. She began sobbing softly.

Rachel tried to scream, but it felt like her vocal cords were in knots and her lungs were flattened by a steam roller. She tried to yell Chloe's name, but only her breath escaped her mouth. Her eyelids still felt heavy, barely able to open them, only able to squint. It was dark. She tried to move her legs and arms, trying to assess her surroundings.

She felt her wrists tightly bounded together with duct tape. She felt her ankles also bounded together. A handkerchief was wrapped in and over her mouth and tied behind her head. She could barely feel her fingers and toes; they were becoming numb from losing circulation.

Rachel tried so hard to move her body. She realized why it was so dark. She noticed that a large black tarp sheet was thrown on top of her. She felt like she was suffocating in the humidity that her body heat and breath created under the tarp sheet. She needed fresh air quickly…

"Excuse me, sir, but might you know if Rachel Amber was at this party?" Rachel could hear Chloe's voice. It was very close by. Rachel tried to scream again, but nothing came out. "She's in the Vortex Club and she helped organize everything tonight…"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure," Rachel heard the familiar voice of Mark Jefferson. He sounded close by, too, directly in front of her. He sounded less sinister and more sincere this time. "There were a lot of students there."

Rachel tried to wiggle her body and struggled to scream one more time, screaming Chloe's name. Only her exhales through the cloth of the handkerchief was heard. More tears rolled from her eyes.

"Thanks anyway," Rachel heard the saddened disappointment in Chloe's voice. And then the sound of a car window rolling up, followed by the sound of keys jingling, and a car engine starting.

" _I'm… in a car? …The back seat? Mr. Jefferson's car?"_ Rachel thought. _"What the fuck just happened…? Why is Mr. Jefferson doing this…? Please let this be just a bad dream…"_

Rachel tried to struggle more and more, but her body felt so weak and so heavy. Her limbs felt completely numb by now. A continuous vibration was heard close by which Rachel recognized was her cellphone. Rachel gasped, her eyes shot wide open. She tried to scream Chloe's name.

" _Chloe! Oh god, Chloe, I'm here!"_ Rachel thought. _"Please help me…"_

Mr. Jefferson reached into his blazer's pocket. He was holding Rachel's cellphone. He looked at the screen. It was Chloe calling. He put it back in his pocket. It stopped vibrating.

Rachel felt the car lurch backward, the car wheels pushing itself out of the parking space slowly, and then stop abruptly. Mr. Jefferson had stepped on the brakes. Rachel almost felt herself roll off the car seat. She was growing frustrated not being able to move the tarp sheet away from her face.

Rachel heard three knocks on the car window coming from outside the car. She could hear Mr. Jefferson breathe heavily. He sounded nervous.

"—Mark?! Mark!" A woman's voice was heard, then the sound of the car window rolling down.

"K-Kelly!" Mr. Jefferson said. Rachel could hear the surprise and nervousness in his voice. "What brings you all the way from New York City to Arcadia Bay?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your new position!" The woman said, who Rachel figured was named Kelly. She sounded very happy. "You're finally doing what you've always wanted to! Teach the world about photography!"

"Y-yeah! It's been great so far," Mr. Jefferson chuckled nervously. "You flew all the way here… for that?"

Rachel heard silence. She was wondering what was going on. She tried to scream multiple times again, hoping Kelly or anyone else would hear her, but no sound was emitted from her mouth.

"Listen, I just got off the plane about two hours ago and took a taxi all the way here," Kelly said shyly. "I was hoping… I can stay with you? Like old times… only if you don't mind! If not, I've got a hotel…"

"Oh, Kelly. Look, I'd love to but…" Mr. Jefferson responded nervously, trying to seem calm. He paused for a moment. Mr. Jefferson glanced at his rear view mirror toward the backseat. "Okay, s-sure. Hop in."

Kelly walked over to the passenger side, opened the car door, and sat inside. She fastened her seatbelt and sighed happily.

Rachel felt the car move again, driving a little further for several moments.

" _Where the fuck is he taking me?"_ Rachel thought. _"And is this Kelly chick in on this?"_

"I've… I've missed you, Mark," Kelly said softly. "I… I know we ended things pretty badly back in New York, but—"

"I missed you too, Kelly," Mr. Jefferson responded stoically. "But you shouldn't have flown all the way here just to see me… and just to congratulate me."

"I know it was spontaneous… I worried that I was going to waste your time," Kelly said coyly. "But I wanted to mend things."

"No, you want us to be… 'us' again," Mr. Jefferson scoffed. "We are bad for each other, Kelly. You know this."

Rachel continued trying to wiggle her body, and tried to rock back and forth. Her body was barely cooperating this time. She tried to scream, and a soft mumble came out, yet Kelly still did not hear her.

"I've changed… and you've changed," Kelly said. "You're settling here, and… maybe I can settle with you too."

"You don't know what you want, Kelly. This isn't New York," Mr. Jefferson answered coldly. "I care about you. But you just can't come back into my life—"

"—I love you, Mark," Kelly responded. "I still do."

"…You don't love me," Mr. Jefferson said coldly. "You're just in love with the thought of me… of my fame… of my success. What we had was fun, but it ended. You are living in a fantasy."

Rachel heard the familiar vibration coming from her phone inside Mr. Jefferson's blazer pocket. She knew it was Chloe calling. Mr. Jefferson did not comment nor answer the phone.

"You gonna answer your phone?" Kelly turned to Mr. Jefferson and asked. "It's been ringing for a while."

"I'm driving. If it's important, they'll leave a message," Mr. Jefferson replied. Rachel still heard the nervousness in his voice.

"Fair enough," Kelly replied.

" _Fuck you, Jefferson,"_ Rachel thought.

Rachel finally moved her legs, but ever so slightly. She was able to kick her legs gently and slowly. Rachel continued to try to kick behind Kelly's seat, but she could not do as much as tap the seat.

" _I have to kick harder,"_ Rachel thought. _"I have to scream louder!"_

Rachel inhaled deeply and slowly. She let out a scream that came out as a low grunt. She kicked the back of the passenger seat as hard as she could. She created an audible "thump" on the back of the passenger seat. Rachel hoped Kelly felt that.

Mr. Jefferson slammed his foot onto the brakes while pulling over to the side of the road. Rachel saw a portion of the black tarp sheet slide off of her, only exposing the top half of her body.

"—What the fuck was that?" Kelly screamed. She glanced at the backseat, her eyes widened with horror. Kelly screamed at the sight of Rachel's face. Kelly saw that Rachel's wrists were tightly held together with silver duct tape. She saw the horror in Rachel's teary eyes that begged for help. "Mark! There's a girl—!"

But before Kelly finished her sentence, Mr. Jefferson placed a handkerchief over Kelly's mouth and nose. Rachel saw that Mr. Jefferson was holding a syringe to Kelly's neck and that he was wearing a dust mask. Kelly screamed and thrashed her arms out toward Mr. Jefferson, trying to punch or scratch him, but Mr. Jefferson held her down. Kelly screamed again through the handkerchief that was pinned onto her mouth by Mr. Jefferson's hand.

" _NO! Holy fuck, no!"_ Rachel thought. Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

Rachel gasped. She saw Kelly's eyes slowly close and her body becoming limp. Mr. Jefferson lowered his arms. He stopped pinning Kelly down on the seat. He was breathing heavily.

Mr. Jefferson cackled, muffled under the dust mask that he wore. Rachel's body stiffened and she felt chills run through her entire body listening to Mr. Jefferson laugh to himself.

"Stupid Kelly…" Mr. Jefferson muttered. Rachel saw him pour liquid from a bottle onto the same handkerchief. He turned around to face Rachel. "And _you_! You fucking brat! You blew my cover! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Rachel screamed and rocked her body back and forth. Only a low groan was made from her vocal cords, and her body gently and ineffectively moved side to side.

"Perhaps the dosage I gave you wasn't high enough…" Mr. Jefferson snarled, looking at the rear view mirror and glancing through the windows of the car, hoping no one could see what was going on inside. "But if I gave you another injection, it might kill you."

Rachel shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to move her body and move away, out of Mr. Jefferson's reach… but she knew it was hopeless.

"So, I'll use this instead. The beauty of chloroform," Mr. Jefferson growled. He turned to Rachel. Rachel heard a slight nervousness from Mr. Jefferson's voice. "Don't worry, sweetie. You'll get some too."

Mr. Jefferson placed the handkerchief onto Rachel's mouth and nose. Rachel screamed and tried to move her head and roll herself away from his hand, but her body still felt too weak and too limp. Rachel inhaled whatever chemical substance that Kelly also inhaled while trying to scream. Rachel felt her head become lightheaded again. She closed her eyes, saw everything black out, and she was unconscious again…

"… _Chloe…"_

"… _Where are you…?"_

"… _Please find me…"_

…Rachel slowly opened her eyes. She heard the click and shutter of a camera close by. A blinding flash of light followed after. This continued for several moments. More clicks, more shutters, and more flashes of light. Rachel felt herself lying on a cold, hard floor. She tried to move her body, but her limbs felt numb and heavy again.

Rachel heard the vibrating sounds from her cellphone nearby. It sounded like it was vibrating against glass. She glanced toward the sound, and she could see her phone screen light up. It was lying on a desk a few feet away.

She looked at her wrists and ankles, which were still tied together with duct tape. Her shoes were removed, leaving her feet bare. She saw where the tape was digging into her skin, leaving red marks. She still felt the handkerchief tied inside her mouth and around her head. She tried to reach behind her head to untie the knot, but her fingers were too weak and the knot was too tight.

Rachel heard her phone stop vibrating.

She tried to lift her body, but she was too fatigued and her neck was sore. She moved her eyes, trying to focus. Wherever she was, she was in the dark. The only light source was a few feet away coming from what looked like studio lights and an occasional flash of a camera. Rachel focused her eyes on the figure holding the camera. It was Mark Jefferson.

She looked toward the floor, where Mr. Jefferson was pointing his camera. She saw Kelly on the floor, lying on her side. Kelly was motionless and also had her wrists and ankles bounded tightly with duct tape. Her face was emotionless and blank. Her eyes were open, and if it were not for her chest moving slowly up and down, Rachel would have thought she was dead. Mr. Jefferson took more photos.

"Just like old times, Kelly," Rachel heard Mr. Jefferson say. His voice was low and sinister. "You still have that sensual talent for posing for the camera…"

Rachel continued to watch Mr. Jefferson talk to himself. He reached down toward Kelly's shirt and unbutton her shirt, revealing her bare cleavage. Mr. Jefferson placed his hand on Kelly's thigh, and slipped her skirt higher, revealing a hint of her underwear, leaving her thighs bare. Mr. Jefferson smirked and laugh to himself.

" _This… this is so fucked up!"_ Rachel thought. _"Mr. Jefferson, you are a fucking monster!"_

Mr. Jefferson continued to take photos. Hearing the click and shutter of the camera, and seeing more flashes of the camera made Rachel's heart ache. She felt more tears drip from the corners of her eyes.

" _I cannot believe this shit is happening…"_ Rachel thought. _"I… I need… my phone… I need Chloe."_

Rachel heard her phone vibrating on the desk again. She let out a groan. She squirmed her body on the floor, trying to crawl toward the desk.

Mr. Jefferson stopped where he stood. He turned around and looked at Rachel. He set his camera down on a coffee table nearby. He grabbed a switchblade that rested on the coffee table and slowly walked toward Rachel.

He squatted low to the floor, flicked the switchblade open. Light gleamed from the sharp blade. Mr. Jefferson gently placed the blade on the side of Rachel's neck drawing a tiny bit of blood. Rachel gasped and her body stiffened.

Mr. Jefferson cut the handkerchief around Rachel's head and snipped the duct tape from her ankles and wrists with the switchblade. Rachel took a deep breath of air, watching him.

"H-HELP!" Rachel screamed loudly. She tried to fling her fists at Mr. Jefferson, but her body was still weak. She still felt paralyzed. "PLEASE HELP US!"

Rachel attempted to slam her fist against Mr. Jefferson's face. Mr. Jefferson dodged Rachel's hand and lost his grip on the switchblade. The switchblade fell to the floor blade first, tumbling against Rachel's waist, leaving a tear on her blue shirt, and definitely slicing flesh. Rachel screamed loudly in pain.

Rachel glanced at her waist, where the switchblade grazed her side. The switchblade was wedged onto the floor. A small amount of blood was pooling underneath her, soaking her shirt and her shorts. She tried to grab the switchblade, but Mr. Jefferson snatched it from the floor.

Mr. Jefferson slapped Rachel's cheek hard. Rachel whimpered and gave Mr. Jefferson a look of hatred. Rachel slowly placed one hand on her cheek. Her face was in pain. She grasped her waist with her other hand tightly, also in pain, trying to stop the bleeding.

"You can scream and fight all you want, Ms. Amber," Mr. Jefferson said, wiping Rachel's blood from the switchblade with the same handkerchief Rachel had in her mouth. He folded his switchblade and placed it back on the coffee table. "No one is going to hear you… And you are too drugged up to run. Now, play nicely. I just took your bindings off of you."

"Fu… fuck you…" Rachel said quietly. Her throat ached and her mouth was dry. She could barely speak no louder than a whisper.

Rachel began crying. Blood was slowly flowing back to her arms and legs. She no longer felt numb, but she still could not move as much as she wanted. Her waist where her wound was ached and throbbed in pain, continuing to bleed slowly.

"You know, the first moment I saw you, Rachel," Mr. Jefferson growled. "I knew I had to capture you."

Rachel whimpered. She continued to try to drag her body on her side toward the desk.

"—That is, in both context…" Mr. Jefferson continued. "I wanted to capture you here… and then capture photos of you." Mr. Jefferson let out a guttural laugh.

Rachel turned to Mr. Jefferson and tried to shoot him an angry look, but Rachel knew she looked more terrified than angry.

More vibrations were heard from Rachel's phone. Mr. Jefferson walked toward his desk, looking at Rachel's phone.

"Huh. Seventeen missed calls," Mr. Jefferson said. "Wow, your girlfriend must be very worried about you."

Rachel groaned and tried to crawl faster.

"And a dozen-some texts from Chloe," Mr. Jefferson continued. "Chloe?"

Rachel looked up at Mr. Jefferson angered.

"Ah. That pothead punk bitch who recently got expelled… The one who was at the parking lot looking for you… I've seen her pick you up from school," Mr. Jefferson smirked. "Let's look through your phone, shall we? Let's see how important this loser is to you."

Mr. Jefferson opened up Rachel's photo gallery. Rachel can see him slide his thumb up and down Rachel's cellphone screen.

"S…stop looking through m-my fucking phone, you god damn pervert!" Rachel said. She tried to raise her voice. Her voice was raspy and coarse.

"Hm. Quite a lot of photos. God awful selfies… Fucking hate that word…" Mr. Jefferson said, ignoring Rachel. "And tons of photos of Chloe... You know, Rachel. If you keep hanging out with girls like her, boys will never want to fuck you again. They'll think you're a dyke like her.

"Fuck you!" Rachel screamed. Her voice was slightly higher, still coarse. Mr. Jefferson continued to browse through Rachel's photos. "Eat… shit, Jefferson—"

"—Oops. Too late. I guess you are a dyke like her," Mr. Jefferson said, a smug look on his face. "Oh man. This is too fucking cute."

Mr. Jefferson walked back toward Rachel, bent toward the floor, and held Rachel's phone toward her. She looked up. It was a selfie of her and Chloe kissing by the lighthouse on the cliff overlooking Arcadia Bay. They looked happy in the photo.

Rachel's face grew hot and more tears fell from her eyes. Rachel began to sob softly, but she tried to hold back. Rachel wished she could jump to that moment with Chloe instead of exist in this nightmare with Mr. Jefferson.

" _Chloe… please help me… Anyone, please!"_ Rachel thought to herself.

"Got any more photos like that? Maybe… juicier ones with you two? Any nudes?" Mr. Jefferson stood up and continued to slide his thumb on the phone screen, browsing through more photos. "Okay, I see a few more kissy photos. Still innocent, still corny. Come on, let's see some hot stuff–BINGO!

Rachel winced. She looked away from Mr. Jefferson and closed her eyes tightly. Tears started streaming down her face.

"Wow! Goddamn it, Rachel! Now, _this_ is fucking HOT! _Chloe_ is fucking hot!" Mr. Jefferson laughed. He licked his lips and bit his lower lip. "Wow… This is not the perfectly behaved Rachel Amber that your parents say you are, huh? You are a dirty girl. Filthy…"

"GO… THE FUCK… TO HELL!" Rachel scowled. She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing. She was more furious than scared now.

"This is hot stuff, I gotta tell you," Mr. Jefferson ignored Rachel, still looking at Rachel's phone. He ran his fingers through his hair. "You know… for a trashy punk like her, Chloe's actually got quite the perfect model's body."

"Don't you… fucking talk about her… like that… you asshole!" Rachel retorted. She tried to crawl toward Mr. Jefferson, wanting so much to smash his face in. She continued to hold onto her waist. The blood on her hands was starting to dry and she wondered if she was no longer bleeding.

"Tall, slender, androgynous… she could pose for men and women's clothing," Mr. Jefferson said, without looking at Rachel. "I'd love to take shots of her too…"

"Y-you fucking leave her alone… you piece of shit!" Rachel cried, she began sobbing. Her body collapsed. She was growing weak again. She needed to regain her energy. She was out of breath and grasping her stomach where Mr. Jefferson had kicked her earlier. She winced and whimpered in pain, wondering if Mr. Jefferson had broken any ribs.

"But that look on her face. Ugh! Too stern and full of hate. That girl is too cynical," Mr. Jefferson continued, staring at Rachel's phone screen. "We're gonna have to do something about her facial expressions… give her something to calm down…"

"If you touch her…" Rachel said weakly between breaths, giving Mr. Jefferson a death stare. "I will fucking kill you!"

"Well, enough of that. We're wasting time," Mr. Jefferson sighed, finally looking away from Rachel's phone. Her phone vibrated again. Another phone call from Chloe. "She won't stop calling, huh?"

Mr. Jefferson turned Rachel's phone over in his hand. Rachel thought he was about to answer the call, but he placed it on the floor, and slammed his foot onto Rachel's phone. He stomped repetitively until the screen cracked and the vibrations stopped. The light that was emitted from Rachel's phone faded off. Rachel continued to whimper and cry.

"That's so much better," Mr. Jefferson said. He picked up the broken pieces of glass and hardware from Rachel's phone. He grabbed a Ziploc bag from his desk and placed the many pieces of Rachel's phone inside. Mr. Jefferson placed the bag on the desk and walked toward Rachel. He squatted low to the floor looking at her. "Gonna have to dispose of this properly—"

Just then, Mr. Jefferson was knocked forward, almost landing on Rachel. Rachel quickly moved away just in time. Something slammed into the back of his head. Mr. Jefferson screamed in pain and was on all fours on the ground. He grasped his head and turned around.

Rachel saw Kelly in a hunched stance, holding a camera tripod. The tripod was collapsed and she had swung it like a baseball hat. Kelly was scowling at Mr. Jefferson, standing weakly. She was breathing heavily and shivering.

"You stupid bitch!" Mr. Jefferson screamed. He lunged toward Kelly, but Kelly swung again, hitting Mr. Jefferson's face this time. Mr. Jefferson stumbled backward and screamed.

"What… the fuck… is wrong with you, Mark?" Kelly cried angrily, gasping, and slumped weakly. She could barely hold the tripod up. "Why the hell… are you doing this? …Who is this girl?"

"Why the fuck is the medicine not strong enough?!" Mr. Jefferson growled to himself. "Why are you bitches waking up so easily?!"

Mr. Jefferson ran toward Kelly. As Kelly swung again, he ducked his head, and grabbed Kelly's neck. Kelly dropped the tripod onto the floor. Mr. Jefferson was choking her. Rachel saw Mr. Jefferson squeezing Kelly's neck with both of his hands. Kelly tried to punch and kick Mr. Jefferson, but she lost her balance and they both fell to the floor.

Mr. Jefferson let go of Kelly's neck. Kelly gasped for air, breathing deeply and coughing, doubled over on the floor. Mr. Jefferson picked up a small glass bottle from the coffee table and a syringe. He withdrew the medication with the syringe, walked over to Kelly, and injected her neck.

Kelly screamed in pain. Her body twitched slightly, and it was motionless once again. Kelly's eyes closed and her breathing slowed down. Mr. Jefferson stood up and tossed the bottle and syringe back onto the coffee table. He was breathing quickly. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair, still looking at Kelly on the floor.

Then Rachel heard what sounded like a large metal door opening and closing from another room, then the sound of footsteps.

"HELP!" Rachel screamed, trying to get that person's attention. "PLEASE HELP!"

A figure appeared at the doorway. Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She held her breath. She recognized the person. It was Nathan Prescott.

"N-Nathan! Watch out! Mr. Jefferson is dangerous!" Rachel screamed. "Nathan!"

But Nathan ignored Rachel. He walked right up to Mr. Jefferson.

"You okay? I got your text, boss... Is this the woman you were talking about?" Nathan said calmly, looking downward at Kelly. "Sounds like a mess. But nothing we can't fix, right?"

Rachel felt her stomach turn. She could not believe what she was seeing or hearing.

"I'm fine. We need to take care of both of them," Mr. Jefferson said, panting from struggling with Kelly a minute ago. He patted Nathan's shoulder. "Rachel here woke up while she was drugged at the school parking lot… Kelly found Rachel in my car too. She witnessed Kelly being apprehended in the car… And then Kelly woke up causing trouble."

"So," Nathan responded. "Do we kill them?"

"I think… that's a possibility," Mr. Jefferson said, smirking. "If you're up for it."

Both Mr. Jefferson and Nathan turned around, looking at Rachel. They smiled devilishly.

Rachel felt her heart race and chills run throughout her body.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

I know some of you are missing Max since I have not been writing about her for about a chapter and a half. However, writing Rachel's backstory takes a lot story telling. Plus, Rachel is the second main character in this AmberField fan fiction! I hope you understand and are enjoying reading about this part in Rachel's life, although horrific! I promise we will get back to the present with Max and be done with this flashback soon! Thanks again for continuously reading!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes:**

TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains scenes of violence and inappropriate sexual content that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!

FLASHBACKS! Time for more of Rachel's story! Thank you very much to the readers who continue to read this story! I appreciate the love and support!

 **Chapter Nine**

"Get the fuck away from me!" Rachel wailed.

Rachel braced herself as Mr. Jefferson and Nathan walked toward her. Nathan grabbed a roll of duct tape from the coffee table while Mr. Jefferson hunched downward toward Rachel. Rachel tried to kick Mr. Jefferson and strike him with her fists, but she was too weak, her arms feeling like lead weights. Mr. Jefferson grabbed her wrists and held them down above her head.

"Freedom time is over, sweetheart," Mr. Jefferson growled. He winked at Rachel. "Should've kept you tied up."

"Fuck you, you psycho!" Rachel screamed. The site of her wound ached as she screamed. She looked away from Mr. Jefferson in disgust. She looked at Nathan. She could see a slight hint of regret in Nathan's scowling face.

Nathan grabbed one of Rachel's thrashing legs and applied the duct tape around her ankle. Nathan grabbed Rachel's other ankle and held them together. Rachel wiggled and screamed, trying to break free from their clutches, but it was no use. Nathan finished wrapping her ankles tightly together with the duct tape.

"Nathan…" Rachel said, gasping. "Nathan, w-why are you doing this?"

Nathan ignored Rachel. Rachel noticed his hands slightly twitching and trembling. He frowned and tried not to give her eye contact. He got up and walked toward Rachel's head, squatting down to wrap her wrists tightly with the duct tape while Mr. Jefferson held them down.

Rachel continued to scream. Her eyes and face were red from crying. Nathan was about to place duct tape over her mouth, but Mr. Jefferson held his hand up to stop Nathan. Rachel gasped.

"Not on her face," Mr. Jefferson ordered. "Don't wanna ruin that mug of hers for the photoshoot."

Mr. Jefferson paused, and then he kicked Rachel's stomach hard. It made a loud _thump_ noise on her belly. Rachel writhed and bent over to her side screaming in pain. Her eyes were shut tight and were watery from the pain. Rachel was certain that the kick made her wound bleed a little more. It throbbed in pain. She whimpered softly.

"That should shut her up," Mr. Jefferson said. He wiped his palms together in a satisfied manner and smiled. "Never had two women in my studio at the same time."

Mr. Jefferson walked toward the couch that was beside the coffee table and sat down. He flopped his body tiredly. He rubbed the back of his head where Kelly struck him. He glanced at his palm for blood, but there was none. He rubbed his face where Kelly also struck. Rachel watched him wince and she could not help but smile to herself.

" _That was a hella great hit, Kelly,"_ Rachel thought.

Nathan walked toward Mr. Jefferson and sat on the couch with him. He tossed the duct tape onto the coffee table. He did not look at Mr. Jefferson or at Rachel. He had a blank stare on his face and his head was tilted downward.

"What's up with you?" Mr. Jefferson asked, patting Nathan on the back. Mr. Jefferson pointed at Rachel. "We got her like you wanted, right?"

Nathan remained silent. Rachel saw that he was breathing deeply and slowly, probably counting in his head, something Rachel knew was his way to calm himself down.

"Don't feel bad, Nathan! Come on now!" Mr. Jefferson said, chuckling. "This bitch stole money from you! You wanted to get her back, so that's what you're doing!"

"Yeah…" Nathan replied quietly, still breathing heavily. He looked like he was starting to grow angry.

"Well, I'm not done with her," Mr. Jefferson said. "Photoshoot is over with this here lady." Mr. Jefferson pointed toward Kelly who was still lying on the floor. Rachel could barely tell if Kelly was still breathing or not.

"Gonna need photos of Ms. Amber," Mr. Jefferson smirked, winking again at Rachel. "Just taking a quick break…"

Rachel squinted her eyes at Mr. Jefferson angrily. She tried to blurt out an insult to him, but her stomach and lungs were in so much pain, she could not even whisper.

"And… and after the photoshoot?" Nathan asked, looking at Mr. Jefferson with concern.

"Well, for one thing. These bitches cannot be in Arcadia Bay anymore, that's for sure," Mr. Jefferson replied casually. "It's not safe to keep them around… Who knows how much they will remember?"

"Y-you mean, we get rid of them?" Nathan asked "Like, for real?"

Mr. Jefferson broke out into laughter.

"Of course, Nathan! Kelly isn't even from Arcadia Bay," Mr. Jefferson growled. "We can just kill her here and bury her quickly… Easy fix."

"I thought you don't kill—" Nathan asked.

"—I don't. I never did," Mr. Jefferson said coldly. "None of the girls I drugged completely woke up from their drugged-up dreamland… They woke up at the comfort of their dorms or their front porch forgetting the whole thing… believing it was all a dream… except these two fucking bitches…"

"But… what about Rachel?" Nathan asked. Rachel can hear a hint of concern and fear in his voice.

"Not an easy fix," Mr. Jefferson said. "We can't kill her or bury her here in Arcadia Bay... her fucking district attorney father and his search team will try to find her. Who knows how much more investigation they'll put on her missing body? They could trace clues back to me… or you."

Nathan sighed, slightly relieved of Mr. Jefferson's answer.

"They wouldn't do much investigation on Kelly. She's nobody…" Mr. Jefferson continued.

Nathan stood up from the couch and walked toward Kelly's body.

"We take Rachel somewhere, and make it seem like she ran away—" Mr. Jefferson said.

"—Shit…" Nathan muttered. "Hey, this bitch isn't breathing."

Nathan stepped back from Kelly's body and turned to Mr. Jefferson.

Rachel's eyes shot wide open. She lifted her head from the floor and looked toward Kelly's body. Kelly's eyes were opened and fixed. Her lips were parted and her face was pale. Rachel gasped and her heart raced.

"What?!" Mr. Jefferson barked and bolted toward Kelly. He crouched down and placed two fingers on Kelly's neck, feeling for her carotid pulse. He held his ear to Kelly's chest, listening for breathing and looking for the rise and fall of her abdomen. "FUCK!"

"Is… is she dead?!" Nathan yelped.

Mr. Jefferson stood up and kicked a lamp by his couch. The lightbulb shattered and the lamp toppled to the floor. Mr. Jefferson grabbed a lighting umbrella and threw it across the room toward the wall closest to Rachel. The lighting umbrella fell to the floor besides Rachel. She flinched.

"FUCK!" Mr. Jefferson screamed looking at Kelly again, and then expectantly at Nathan. "I… I don't suppose you know CPR?!"

" _Is he fucking serious?_ " Rachel thought. _"He… he fucking overdosed her!"_

Mr. Jefferson paced around the room, pounding his fist to his forehead, trying to plan his next step. He knelt beside Kelly, compressing her chest several times and blew into her mouth, trying his attempt at CPR while Nathan watched horrfied. After several minutes, Kelly remained unconscious and still not breathing. Mr. Jefferson panted, giving up.

"You… you killed her," Rachel whimpered. She looked up at Mr. Jefferson. "You murdered her!"

Mr. Jefferson was sweating bullets. He was nervous. Nathan's hands were trembling.

"Shut up!" Mr. Jefferson glared at Rachel.

"Please… just please let me go…" Rachel begged. Tears rolled down her cheek, down her chin, and fell on the floor. "I… I don't want to die—"

"—Shut the FUCK up!" Mr. Jefferson barked. He stood up and looked at Nathan. "She already knows way too much. We can't just let her free anymore. We've got to get rid of her. We have to kill her."

Nathan shook his head, shocked in disbelief.

"Th-this is so fucked up, M-Mr. Jefferson—!" Nathan yelped shaking his head and breathing rapidly. He was also sweating and nervous. Mr. Jefferson grasped Nathan's shoulders and shook him.

Rachel was surprised to see Nathan disagreeing with Mr. Jefferson. She wondered if Nathan was contemplating helping her…

"LISTEN TO ME!" Mr. Jefferson ordered. "We _have_ to kill her. We have to take her away—far the fuck away from here! It's the only way."

Nathan stepped back from Mr. Jefferson's grip. He shook his head and looked at the ground, horrified.

Rachel whimpered.

" _Am I going to die tonight?"_ Rachel panicked. She tried to crawl toward the coffee table, eyeing the switchblade on it. _"I need to get out of here… Chloe, please help me…"_

"I-I thought we were just going to scare Rachel!" Nathan cried.

"Scare her? How the fuck is that going to help us?!" Mr. Jefferson retorted.

"You know, just to teach her a lesson! M-maybe we can threaten that we'll f-fuck up her school records or grades or some shit if she rats on us," Nathan whimpered while pacing back and forth, his hands trembling. "We can interfere with her chances for college scholarships and shit—not fucking kill her and dump her somewhere—!"

"—Are you a fucking idiot?! This bitch will talk!" Mr. Jefferson moved close to Nathan, looking down on him. They were both sweating and red in the face from fear and nervousness. "Her father is the fucking district attorney! We. Get. Rid. Of. Her. Tonight!"

" _Nathan really wants to help me…"_ Rachel thought. _"He was just trying to scare me… I hope…"_

"But—!" Nathan muttered nervously.

Mr. Jefferson grasped Nathan's neck and lifted him slightly from the ground. Nathan's feet were tiptoed. Nathan tried to pry Mark's fingers off. He was gagging and his face grew red, trying to scream and breathe. Rachel gasped.

"IF YOU EVER MENTION THIS TO ANYONE, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, PRESCOTT!" Mr. Jefferson bellowed. "I WILL END YOUR GOD DAMN LIFE!"

Mr. Jefferson moved his face closer to Nathan's and lowered his voice. He looked right into Nathan's eyes which were wide-eyed from straining to breathe.

"You've seen those binders… you've seen what I am capable of doing to those girls…" Mr. Jefferson said. "Don't think you're an exception… I will humiliate you, mutilate you, and have my way with you before I kill you… Don't. Say. A word. Got it?"

Mr. Jefferson dropped Nathan. Nathan fell to the ground and whimpered. He gasped for air, clutching his neck while lying on his side on the floor. He coughed and looked at Rachel.

Rachel looked at him with disconcerting eyes. He immediately looked away and scowled.

A vibration was heard, followed by another. It was coming from Nathan's pocket. It was his cellphone. He reached into his pocket, picked up his phone, and looked at the screen. Rachel whimpered.

"Shit…" Nathan said now calm. "We gotta clear this place, boss."

"What? Why?" Mr. Jefferson asked.

"The fucking district attorney has police searching around the entire town for Rachel Amber," Nathan responded, wide-eyed. "My people just texted me."

"God FUCKING damn it!" Mr. Jefferson screamed. He placed his hands on his waist, thinking. "I fucking knew it!"

"L-look! We can take care of these bitches tomorrow," Nathan said, somewhat confidently. Rachel noticed that Nathan's demeanor changed. "Just put them in the darkroom for now!"

Rachel listened to Mr. Jefferson and Nathan intently. She grew slightly hopeful knowing that her father was looking for her.

"And how the fuck is that going to hold them off?!" Mr. Jefferson snapped.

"I'm in the Vortex Club and so is Rachel. We have an alibi," Nathan muttered. "I can say that we last saw Rachel at the party—and that she left."

"You think the police are going to believe you?" Mr. Jefferson questioned.

"I'm a fucking Prescott," Nathan scoffed. "They'll believe me. They always believe us. Who do you think is giving me all this information? I pay them to do my bidding."

Nathan's phone vibrated again. Nathan glanced at it.

"What's the situation now?" Mr. Jefferson asked, looking at Nathan's phone.

"Well, since Rachel wasn't at the party when her stupid dyke girlfriend, Chloe, showed up to pick her up, she freaked out and called Rachel's parents," Nathan replied.

Nathan no longer looked nervous. He looked confident and maniacal. It was as if he snapped from a frail animal to a hunting predator. Rachel recognized this behavior of Nathan's when he was erratic and aggressive.

"Rachel's parents assumed she was going to stay over Chloe's and told Chloe that Rachel wasn't home," Nathan said. "They all got worried and her dad sent out his own search team... not the Arcadia Bay police. We need to clear this place and we need to head back to Blackwell. NOW!"

Rachel's stomach dropped. Her throat constricted and she felt her heart beating fast. Her eyes stung from the tears that were forming.

" _Chloe...? She spoke to my parents? …To look for me?"_ Rachel thought, surprised, knowing that Chloe did all that despite having disliked Rachel's parents and refused to talk to him. _"Oh, Chloe…"_

Mr. Jefferson walked up to one of his shelves against the wall. He slid it toward him slowly. Behind where the shelf stood was a door. Mr. Jefferson opened it. Rachel glanced inside and saw that it was dark and lit dimly with a red, glowing light around the room. It looked like a typical darkroom for developing film.

"I am going to fuck that blue-haired bitch up when we're done here," Nathan muttered.

"One woman at a time, Nathan," Mr. Jefferson chuckled.

Rachel felt her heart ache.

" _No… Please don't hurt Chloe,"_ Rachel thought, horrified.

Mr. Jefferson walked over to Kelly and grabbed her lifeless body from her armpits while Nathan grabbed the back of her knees. They lifted her and carried her inside the darkroom. They walked back out and walked toward Rachel.

"Do you still want to take photos of her?" Nathan asked, tilting his head toward Rachel, avoiding eye contact with Mr. Jefferson.

"We got ourselves this far," Mr. Jefferson said. "Can't turn back now. I still want those photos."

Nathan remained silent as he grabbed the back of Rachel's knees. Mr. Jefferson grabbed her from her armpits. They lifted her and Rachel's body ached. Rachel tried to rock herself away from their grips, but her waist stung in intense pain. She submitted herself to their clutches. They carried her into the darkroom and placed her beside Kelly.

Rachel looked around, barely sitting herself up. Her body was regaining some strength, but not enough. She could see several white sheets of film hanging on wires from wall to wall, pinned by clothespins. They were faced away from her, so she could not see what was on those photos. She was glad. She figured they would be too horrifying to see.

Rachel gasped from the sting of her wound. She could smell the familiar smell of the solution used to develop film.

As Mr. Jefferson and Nathan were about to exit the room, Rachel spoke to Nathan.

"N-Nathan, please…" Rachel cried to the boy who she thought was her friend, the boy who she along with Victoria cared for during his dark times. She begged him. "Please d-don't hurt Chloe."

Nathan slowly turned around to finally look at Rachel. His face was red and hot with anger.

"Who the fuck cares about your punk ass girlfriend?" Nathan growled.

"Just please promise me…" Rachel whimpered, clutching her waist, although it was no longer bleeding. "Promise me that he doesn't hurt her—"

"—You stole my money so you two could run away! You don't think I can get back at you bitches?" Nathan said. He pulled a gun from his jacket pocket, pointing it at Rachel. Rachel gasped and flinched. "I ought to shoot your girlfriend once we're done with you."

" _He… he didn't get rid of the gun…"_ Rachel thought, disappointingly. _"Nathan… isn't who I thought he was…"_

"—Will you two SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Mr. Jefferson screamed impatiently, poking his head in the doorway of the darkroom. "Quit wasting time! Put that fucking thing away! Let's get the FUCK out of here, Nathan."

Nathan glanced at Mr. Jefferson, then quickly slapped his gun across Rachel's face. Rachel's head whipped to the side and she fell to the floor. Rachel's vision was spinning and blurring. She rested her head on the cold, hard floor and felt the pain on the side of her head where Nathan struck her.

"S-sorry, boss!" Nathan stammered and ran out the door. "Let's clean this shit up and head back to Blackwell… We'll say we were cleaning up after the party."

"Are there still people at school?" Mr. Jefferson asked. He slammed the door shut. Rachel could hear the sound of the shelf being pushed back against the door.

"Just security and the janitors," Rachel barely heard Nathan say from out of the door. "We'll be fine, man. They're never gonna find this bunker…"

Rachel groaned, feeling vertigo and tiredness along with the pain all over her body.

" _No, Rachel,"_ Rachel thought to herself. _"Don't knock out! You need to stay awake!"_

Rachel knew about Nathan's mental health… She knew that he had anger issues, made poor judgments, and had anxiety. She knew his medication made him forgetful sometimes… But she did not know what he was truly capable of… or of what Mr. Jefferson truly was too.

Rachel fought to stay awake. She glanced at Kelly next to her. Rachel reached over and closed Kelly's eyelids. Kelly's skin felt cold. Tears ran from Rachel's eyes, wondering if she will meet the same fate as Kelly did. She gasped at an epiphany that came up in her mind.

" _Wait. Mr. Jefferson's going to bury Kelly, but he wants to take me far away from here so I won't be found or traced back to him… I need to think fast!"_ Rachel thought. Her face lit up when she formed a plan in her tired mind. " _I need to leave traces of myself… so that when Dad finds Kelly's body, they will find other DNA—my DNA! And the authorities will find a connection between Kelly and myself! It will definitely lead to Mr. Jefferson!"_

Rachel tried to bite and chew through the duct tape around her wrists, but her jaw ached from Nathan knocking her with his gun. She frantically scooched her body toward a metal table counter in the darkroom. It was difficult to see in the room. She placed the duct tape around her wrist on the corner of the metal table. She began rubbing the tape against the corner, trying to loosen the tape. Rachel was sweating and her breathing grew faster. She was growing tired and weak, exerting all her energy.

" _Don't knock out, Rachel!"_ Rachel thought. _"Just a little more!"_

Rachel clenched her teeth and winced in pain. She felt the duct tape give way and rip ever so slightly. She continued to rub her wrists and the tape eventually ripped. Rachel removed the tape from her wrists. She rubbed her hands and laughed in relief. She was sweating and panting.

Rachel slowly took off her blue long-sleeve button up shirt. She winced and yelped in pain as her waist throbbed. She looked at the tear on the long-sleeve shirt from where Mr. Jefferson's switchblade cut her. She lifted her Firewalk shirt, which also had a rip on it, and she glanced at her skin. There was a sizeable gash. It was no longer bleeding, but it was caked in dried blood.

"Chloe is gonna be pissed when she finds out her shirt is ruined," Rachel said out loud, slightly chuckling. The Firewalk shirt hardly looked the same. Her blood pooled and leaked over the Firewalk lettering and design. Rachel looked at her blue long-sleeve shirt. There was a large blood stain on it.

Rachel scooched toward Kelly. She placed her blue long-sleeve shirt over Kelly. She winced in pain as she slipped Kelly's arms through the shirt sleeves so that Kelly wore it.

Rachel frowned and looked away.

"I don't know who you are…" Rachel said, fighting to stay awake... pausing from tiredness with every breath she took to speak. "But I am so sorry for what happened to you today… I shouldn't have followed Mr. Jefferson to his classroom… I knew it felt eerie… Had I not been captured, you wouldn't have seen me… and he wouldn't have captured you too… I'm so sorry, Kelly."

Rachel removed the tape from around her ankles. She stretched her legs. She was ready to knock out, exhausted from so much energy she expelled.

" _Oh man, Nathan knocked my head really hard,"_ Rachel thought. _"I… I can't see well. They say... you should try to stay awake after hitting your head… but I fucking can't…"_

Rachel lowered herself to the floor, she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on anything other than the pain she felt throughout her body. Her vision was blurring and the room was spinning. Her body relaxed from all the pain and physical trauma she felt. She was not sure if it was from the hit to the head, the blood loss, the medication Mr. Jefferson drugged her up with, or the fact that it must have been passed midnight by now, but she was exhausted and wanted to sleep.

"I'm… so tired…" Rachel sighed. "Where are you, Chloe?" And she fell asleep.

 _To be continued…_


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes:**

TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains scenes of violence and inappropriate sexual content that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!

FLASHBACKS! Time for more of Rachel's story! Thank you very much to the readers who continue to read this story! I appreciate the love and support!

 **Chapter Ten**

 _"Cool bracelet."_

 _"I've had it, I guess, since I was a kid in Long Beach. Reminds me that there's more to experience out there than just Arcadia Bay. Maybe one day I'll go back to Long Beach or... anywhere but here. Maybe sooner than later."_

" _What brought that on?"_

" _Sometimes, I feel like I've got no reason to stay. Don't be surprised, Chloe, if one day, I'm just out of here."_

" _Let me know if you need an accomplice…"_

Rachel slowly pried her eyes open, waking up in horrible pain throughout her body. Her head, waist, stomach—everywhere—throbbed. She was lying on her side on the cold, hard floor. She lifted her head slightly, scanning the room. It was dark with a red glow surrounding the entire room.

" _I'm still in this fucking place…"_ Rachel thought. _"How long was I asleep?"_

There were no windows or clock on the walls that indicated how much time has passed since she was kidnapped, drugged, and brought to Mr. Jefferson's lair… along with Kelly.

Rachel had hoped it was all a nightmare, but it was not…

She thought about the dream she had after knocking out. She dreamed about the day she and Chloe ditched school to hop a train and spy on her father. It was so fun spending time with someone new, someone different like Chloe. It was exciting getting to know her. Rachel wished so much to be taken back to that moment.

" _Chloe… Oh god, Chloe, please find me…"_ Rachel thought.

Rachel slowly sat up. It surprised her how it did not take her much effort to do so. She was still sore and weak, but she figured the drug had worn off. She glanced at her side where Kelly lied motionless. A dark thought ran through Rachel's mind.

" _I wonder if rigor mortis has set in,"_ Rachel bleakly thought. _"Of if she's starting to decompose…"_

Rachel shook her head, trying to clear the thought that there was a dead woman lying next to her. It had not freaked her out yet, and she was trying not to freak out now…

Rachel scanned the room again, stretching her legs and arms, wondering if there was something around that she could use as a weapon. She wondered how long she had been knocked out… or when Mr. Jefferson and Nathan would be back.

She tried to stand up, but her back and waist ached in pain. Her legs felt numb and weak. She stood up carefully, anchoring herself with the metal table counter by her, slowly rocking back and forth, her head spinning. She stood with her back hunched over, grasping her wound on her waist.

" _I have to get out of here…"_ Rachel thought.

She hobbled over to the door of the darkroom. She grasped the cold doorknob and turned it. It was not locked! She gasped; it surprised her. She slowly pulled the door, feeling dizzy. As the door swung open, Rachel saw the back of shelf that blocked the doorway. Rachel placed her hands on it, trying to push, but it did not budge.

Rachel leaned on the back of the shelf, wincing in pain.

"Fuck!" She grunted and felt her wound throbbing as she continued to push.

She pushed with her arms, her legs, and her entire body until the shelf finally budged a few inches. Rachel panted and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain radiating throughout her body.

She breathed deeply, held her breath, and shoved it again. Soon, the shelf moved even more, leaving a gap between the wall and the shelf, enough room for her to slide through.

"Fuck yes!" Rachel sighed and exhaled sharply. "Fuck this goddamn thing…"

Rachel glanced once last time on the floor where Kelly lied.

"Rest easy, Kelly," Rachel said. "I'm gonna get us out of here."

She turned back to the gap. She sucked in her stomach, trying to wedge herself through the doorway and the shelf. She winced in pain as she squeezed herself through. She gasped, catching her breath. She was back in Mr. Jefferson's office.

She glanced at Mr. Jefferson's desk. She noticed two red binders, similar to the red photo portfolio binder that Mr. Jefferson showed her in his classroom. It seemed like ages ago. Rachel noticed what was written on the spines of the red folders.

"Kelly…" Rachel read softly. "Rachel…"

She opened them. They were empty, with only black, plastic sleeves, similar to ones for a photo album.

"That fucking creep," Rachel said. "He's collecting our photos into photo albums…"

She angrily shoved them onto the floor. She glanced at the Ziploc bag where pieces of her cellphone were in. She lifted the bag and stared at the broken pieces in her hand.

"Can't fix this shit…" Rachel said. She shook her head and placed them back on the desk.

She scanned Mr. Jefferson's office. It looked like a normal personal office and a small photography studio, except for the creepy art that hung on the walls. One of the posters was a little girl clutching her neck while, what looked like large earthworms with eyeballs, crawled out of her neck. Another poster was of a naked woman with her arms tied behind her back and kneeling onto the floor.

"I seriously have to get the fuck out of here," Rachel muttered.

Just then, Rachel heard a door open and close nearby, and the sound of footsteps followed. She heard the sound of two voices conversing… Mr. Jefferson and Nathan.

Rachel glanced around looking for a weapon. She glanced at the coffee table, and remembered Mr. Jefferson's switchblade, the same one that sliced her side. It was gone.

" _Fuck!"_ Rachel thought. " _He must have taken it with him…"_

She looked onto the floor and quickly grabbed the same tripod that Kelly used to bat Mr. Jefferson from the floor. She held it above her head and stood against the wall by the doorway. She winced in pain, her heart beating fast, trying to hold her breath. Mr. Jefferson's and Nathan's grew closer.

As Mr. Jefferson and Nathan entered through the doorway, Rachel swung the tripod downward, but Nathan swiftly stepped aside and dodged the attack. Mr. Jefferson grabbed the tripod from Rachel's hands and shoved a can of pepper spray to her face. He sprayed it straight into her eyes and nose.

Rachel screamed and clasped her eyes. They were burning intensely, and she coughed, having inhaled some of the spray through her mouth and nose.

"You stupid bitch!" Mr. Jefferson growled. He shoved Rachel against the wall, knocking her head hard too. "You don't think I have security cameras in my office? I can see everything that goes on in and around this place."

Mr. Jefferson held up his cellphone to show Rachel. Rachel could barely see through her squinted eyes in pain. On the screen were multiple angles of surveillance cameras placed around the office in a live stream.

Rachel felt the breath knock out of her lungs. Her back, head, and wound ached. Her eyes felt like they were on fire, her throat felt like she swallowed a shot of acid. She was having difficulty breathing. She cried.

" _Fucking shit!"_ Rachel thought, leaning toward the wall and falling to the floor. _"This goddamn piece of shit!"_

Rachel held her eyes closed tightly, unable to see anything. Nathan grabbed Rachel's wrists.

"No! Fuck you!" Rachel screamed, thrashing her legs and arms around, but Nathan had her pinned down. "Fuck you!"

Mr. Jefferson knelt beside her and injected her neck with a syringe. Rachel felt the sting of the needle pierce her neck and the cold medication spread into her bloodstream.

" _No… not again..."_ Rachel thought. She felt her body weaken again, growing colder, and losing control. She felt her limbs fall limply. The tears from her eyes ran down her cheeks and neck. Her eyes and face were red from the pepper spray.

"That was close," Nathan sneered, speaking to Mr. Jefferson. "Told you the police would believe us."

"It's time for that photoshoot I wanted," Mr. Jefferson patted Nathan on his back proudly. "You did well, Nathan. Your plan worked."

Rachel was able to open her eyes ever so slightly. She watched through squinted eyes as Nathan and Mr. Jefferson stood in front of her. She felt the medication flow throughout her body, paralyzing her, slowing her breathing.

Mr. Jefferson held a camera in his hands, fiddling with the buttons and the lens. Nathan held a roll of duct tape. He picked up Rachel's wrists and taped them tightly as well as her wrists. Rachel tried to pull her limbs away, but it was no use. As soon as Nathan was done binding Rachel, she slowly dragged herself sideways against the wall, backed to a corner.

" _This nightmare will never end,"_ Rachel thought. She sobbed softly and held her knees close to her chest. She placed her arms behind her knees, curled into a ball, feeling the coldness run throughout her body. She shivered.

Mr. Jefferson walked up to her. She scowled at him.

"Nice pose, Ms. Amber," Mr. Jefferson snarled. He placed the viewfinder of the camera in front of his eye. He pressed the capture button. A shutter of the lens and a quick flash of light shined. "This is a keeper."

Mr. Jefferson continued to take more photos from different angles as Rachel sat against the corner of the room. Rachel continued to glare at Mr. Jefferson, wanting so hard to smash his camera in his face and choke him with the camera strap. More photos, more flashes, more anger boiling through Rachel's body.

Just then, the sound of thunder boomed outside above them. More thunder rolled.

"Whoa!" Nathan said. "Is it supposed to rain tonight?"

"It doesn't matter," Mr. Jefferson scoffed. "I think were done here."

Rachel felt her body becoming weaker and number. She knew the medication was kicking in and she would soon knock out again. She noticed Mr. Jefferson eyeing Rachel up and down her body.

" _I hope he doesn't notice that I took my blue shirt off…"_ Rachel thought nervously. _"…and that I put it on Kelly…"_

Mr. Jefferson knelt in front of Rachel, his face centimeters from Rachel's. He placed his hand on her cheek, running it down her neck, caressing her skin with her fingertips. He traced his fingertips onto Rachel's collarbone. She shrugged his hand away, but he continued to slowly move his hand onto her breasts, her waist… and slowly between her thighs.

"…D-don't fucking touch m-me," Rachel whimpered weakly. Her tongue felt numb and heavy. She was feeling extremely drowsy, the medication about to take full effect on her.

Mr. Jefferson's still held his hand firmly against Rachel's crotch. She scowled at Mr. Jefferson, her eyes watering. She was shivering in fear. Mr. Jefferson slid his hand up Rachel's shirt, caressing the skin of her stomach. He slid his fingertips under the tops of Rachel's shorts… and under her underwear. Rachel could feel his cold and rough hand edging closer below.

"…P-please, stop…" Rachel begged softly. She sobbed. "N-no…"

Mr. Jefferson smiled at Rachel. He stopped moving his hand. He looked into Rachel's eyes, then down to her chest, her hips, and her bare legs. He licked his lips. Rachel flinched. She closed her eyes, the tears falling onto her arms and knees.

Mr. Jefferson removed his hand from Rachel's shorts and stood up. He walked toward his desk and sat down on his chair. He took his cellphone in his pocket and began texting someone. He looked through his camera, sifting through the many photos of Kelly and Rachel.

Rachel exhaled in relief. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her throat felt tight. She was breathing quickly and shallowly. She sobbed softly, her vision blurring, and her head spinning.

" _I-I thought he was g-gonna…"_ Rachel thought fearfully. _"He was gonna…"_

Rachel glanced at Nathan, who stood feet away. He had been watching, horrified. He shook his head and looked away from Rachel and to the floor. He started running his fingers through his hair and grasping his head. He began mumbling to himself.

Rachel listened to Nathan mutter softly, pacing back and forth by the sofa. He sounded nervous.

"I-I just wanted to s-scare her… I just wanted m-my money back…" Nathan mumbled quickly. Rachel heard the panic in his voice. She recognized his pacing, his nervousness, and his wide eyes. She worried that he was about to experience an anxiety attack. "I wanted to get b-back at her… I d-didn't want it to go this far!"

Mr. Jefferson looked up from his phone. He looked over at Nathan and rolled his eyes. He continued to scroll through his phone and text.

"This… this is fucked up! This was n-not supposed to happen! Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room! She's not supposed to die… or be taken away," Nathan continued to mutter, quicker and louder this time. He was pacing back and forth faster and breathing heavier. "I just wanted to interrogate her! Scare her... Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room!"

"Nathan!" Mr. Jefferson yelled. "Calm your ass down, man!"

Nathan fell to the floor, sitting with his knees drawn toward his chest. He leaned his back against the side of the sofa. He grasped his head and rocked back and forth, wide eyed, breathing quickly and repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room! Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room!" Nathan chanted. "Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room! Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room!"

" _Nathan, please calm down…"_ Rachel worriedly thought. _"I think he's having an anxiety attack!"_

"Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room! Rachel was only supposed to stay in the Dark Room!" Nathan continued, rocking violently back and forth, shaking his head, and screaming his words. "Rachel was only—stay in the Dark Room! Rachel was—stay in the Dark Room! Rachel was—in the Dark Room! Rachel—in the Dark Room!"

"Nathan! Shut the fuck up!" Mr. Jefferson growled. He got up from his desk and slowly walked toward Nathan.

"Rachel in the Dark Room!" Nathan bellowed continuously. "Rachel in the Dark Room! Rachel in the Dark Room! Rachel in the Dark Room!"

Mr. Jefferson punched Nathan's cheek hard. He continued to punch Nathan repeatedly. Nathan yelped and fell to his side. He whimpered and grasped his face. He was sobbing, tears dripping down his eyes.

" _NO! He is having a panic attack, stop!"_ Rachel thought. _"Nathan, please be okay…"_

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man?!" Mr. Jefferson screamed. He stopped pummeling Nathan. "You off your meds or something?!"

Nathan remained silent, still crying, curled up on the floor.

"Get the fuck up, man!" Mr. Jefferson barked. "We need to get her out of here."

Nathan slowed his breathing. He sat himself up slowly, regaining strength and coming back to reality. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I… Okay…" Nathan muttered.

Rachel exhaled, relieved that Nathan was okay. Nathan glanced at Rachel and scowled. Rachel frowned and looked at him with concern. He stood up and walked over to the coffee table. He picked up a handkerchief and a bottle of solution. Chloroform. He poured some on the handkerchief and walked over to Rachel.

Rachel's stomach lurched. She knew exactly what he was about to do. Admitting defeat, Rachel remained still, tears flowing from her eyes that still stung from the pepper spray.

Nathan crouched down by Rachel. He paused and looked into Rachel's eyes. Rachel could have sworn he looked guilty and sorry. Then he covered her nose and mouth with the handkerchief. Rachel felt her eyes close slowly and her head spin. And then she knocked out…

" _What I wouldn't give to leave this place and never look back..."_

" _What's stopping us?"_

" _Us? Are you serious?"_

" _There's nothing keeping me here. Not anymore."_

" _So if I came to you tomorrow and told you to pack your bags..."_

" _I'm serious. Let's do it, Chloe. Let's leave this place forever."_

" _Okay…"_

Rachel's eyes shot wide open. She was lying on her back, looking up at the stars at night. She felt a cool breeze and the sound of rolling thunder above. She looked at the sky and saw dark clouds slowly approaching above, making their way toward the city, toward where she lied.

" _Where the fuck am I now?!"_ Rachel thought. "I'm… outside?"

She moved her eyes around. It was dark, but she could barely see what was around her. The light from the moon emitted enough light for her to see. She noticed several rusty cars around her, several piles of wood and sheet metal, as well as empty bottles of beer lying around the ground close by.

" _Am… am I at the junkyard?"_ Rachel asked herself. _"What is going on?"_

She looked to her side. She saw someone lying a yard or so away from her. Someone who was wearing her blue long-sleeve shirt. It was Kelly's body.

Rachel tried to move her body, trying to sit up, but the medication was still in her system. She was weak and limp, something she has gotten used to by now.

"Okay. We have to make it seem like Rachel and I were drunk and just chilling here at the junkyard," Rachel heard Nathan speaking. He walked from the darkness of the night with Mr. Jefferson following him. They approached Rachel.

"I'm gonna lie next to her," Nathan continued. Rachel noticed his voice sounded maniacal. "You take a photo with my phone and it'll seem like we were drunk off our asses."

"And this will work?" Mr. Jefferson questioned.

"Y-yeah, it will," Nathan responded. "The Vortex Club gets ourselves into some crazy shit… we always take dumbass photos and videos. It'll seem like someone grabbed my phone and took a photo of us being drunk messes."

"And why are we taking photos?" Mr. Jefferson asked.

"As proof. Our alibi," Nathan responded. "If the authorities see this photo on my phone, they're not going to blame me for kidnapping her or knowing why she's missing… I'll look unconscious and I'll say I don't remember anything 'because I blacked out,' you know?"

" _What the fuck is going on?"_ Rachel thought. _"They're going to take a fake photo? This is fucked up…"_

Nathan lowered himself to the ground next to Rachel. He lied down and handed Mr. Jefferson his cellphone. Mr. Jefferson took Nathan's phone.

"Who are you going to say took this photo?" Mr. Jefferson asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll say a bunch of Vortex Club members and I went to the junkyard for an after party," Nathan chuckled. "Someone in Blackwell will get the blame. They won't figure out it was us. I'm bulletproof."

Nathan looked upward with fixed eyes. He softened his face, trying to look drunk or unconscious.

"No, a little above her," Mr. Jefferson added. "Tuck yourself under her head."

Nathan lifted Rachel's head and scooched his body so that Rachel's head rested on Nathan's lap. He placed Rachel's right arm on his leg. Mr. Jefferson moved Rachel's legs to spread them apart slightly. Rachel's body was sore and weak still. She still felt paralyzed and limp.

"Perfect," Mr. Jefferson said.

"Alright, take the photo," Nathan said. "Hurry up. Then we gotta bury the body."

" _They're going to bury Kelly here?"_ Rachel thought.

Rachel heard a click of Nathan's cellphone. Mr. Jefferson took the photo.

"There you go. It's done," Mr. Jefferson said, marveling at the photo he just took.

Nathan sat up.

"Alright, give me my phone," Nathan said, extending his hand out. "What are you doing?"

"Hang on," Mr. Jefferson said. He was texting something on Nathan's phone. "I sent a copy to myself… that is going in her portfolio for sure… such an excellent photo." Mr. Jefferson deleted the text between Nathan and Mr. Jefferson.

Mr. Jefferson tossed Nathan's cellphone to Nathan. Nathan caught it and stood up, letting Rachel's head bop to the ground. Rachel felt her head throbbing in pain still.

Rachel turned her head, watching Nathan and Mr. Jefferson holding shovels, digging a shallow grave, about a foot and a half deep, a foot away from her. Rachel watched them lift Kelly's stiff, lifeless body and toss her carelessly into the shallow grave. She heard Nathan and Mr. Jefferson grunt. Rachel cried softly, watching Nathan and Mr. Jefferson toss the dirt back in the grave, shoveling dirt over Kelly's body and face. Rachel looked away.

Then Rachel heard what sound like the engine of a car approaching. Her heart skipped a beat, feeling hopeful that it might by someone who would be helpful.

"Are those your guys?" Nathan asked, patting the soil below, leveling the dirt mound.

"Yes, they should be here by now," Mr. Jefferson replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Rachel glanced at the vehicle approaching. It was a black van. She saw the driver and passenger doors opening and closing. Two large men in black, wearing balaclavas, walked out and approached Mr. Jefferson. Rachel could not see their faces. She heard more thunder booming above. The dark clouds were now covering the moonlight and the stars above. Rachel wondered if it was about to rain…

Mr. Jefferson held a small silver case to the two men.

"Inject this amount to her neck whenever she wakes up," Mr. Jefferson ordered. "Keep driving until you reach the location… You know what to do."

Rachel's heart shot up to her throat. She felt her insides churn in fear.

" _No!"_ Rachel thought. _"No! What location?!"_

The two large men approached her. One of them lifted her onto his shoulder, slinging her like a sack of potatoes. Rachel tried to wiggle her body and punch the man carrying her. The other man opened the back doors of the van.

"N-no!" Rachel blurted weakly. "W-where are you taking me?!"

The man carrying her placed her inside the van. Rachel felt the cold metal of the inside of the van on her skin. She sat up weakly looking out the van doors. She saw Mr. Jefferson walk away into the darkness of the night. She looked at Nathan through her watery eyes who was looking back at her horrified. Rachel could have sworn that he was crying too.

"N-Nathan!" Rachel screamed. "N-Nathan, please!"

One of the men hopped in the back of the van, crouching close to Rachel. He held the case that Mr. Jefferson handed him and opened it. He grabbed a bottle of medication solution and a syringe. He inserted the syringe in the bottle and aspirated a tiny amount of the medication.

Rachel saw Nathan holding his head in his hands, rocking back and forth, the way he did in Mr. Jefferson's office earlier. Rachel heard him sobbing.

The man moved toward Rachel and injected Rachel's neck with the syringe, administering the medication. Rachel felt her body tremble and feel numb. The other man slammed the back doors of the van and hopped in the driver's seat. He started the engine.

" _No…"_ Rachel thought. _"…This isn't happening…"_

Rachel's head nodded, her eyes feeling heavy, her version becoming hazy.

Rachel lowered her head, feeling the cool, metal floor of the van on her cheek. She felt the van lurch and drive away, and she closed her eyes.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

 _Chloe: Rachel... This can't be real... These are all—these are all posed shots, right? Right?_

 _Max: Chloe. Look at her face. She's... out of it._

 _Chloe: Maybe—maybe Nathan paid her a shitload of cash to do this. She probably would have._

 _Max: I don't think so. Why is he putting her in the ground like that? Where—_

 _Chloe: The junkyard! Max, we have to find that spot, now! Then we can see what he did... There's no way she's dead. No way! She posed for those pictures, Max. I know it, please... let's go._

—Life is Strange Episode 4: Dark Room

If you have been missing Max, do not worry! She is coming back to the story next! Thanks again for hanging on and reading through!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes:**

Time to read about Max's reaction to Rachel's backstory! More will be revealed as they bond closer and enjoy each other's company in the hideout. Enjoy!

 **Chapter Eleven**

"…Holy shit, Rachel…" Max whispered softly. She had been tearing up the entire time while Rachel was talking. Her face was damp with her tears, but she was too focused on listening to Rachel's story to wipe her eyes and cheeks. Max could not believe the story that Rachel told, and the nightmare Rachel suffered through…

" _This picture is framed different. Rachel is awake and fucking furious,"_ Max remembered what she thought in her mind when she saw Rachel's binder in Mr. Jefferson's office five years ago in the alternate timeline. The story Rachel had just told her and the photos of Rachel were starting to make sense. _"This shot is so staged, I can't believe it's real... I can't..."_

Rachel had not shed a single tear as she spoke. Max could sense that Rachel has grown stronger, that she has emotionally and mentally persisted these past five years.

Max had not been drinking her last beer. She glanced inside the half-full bottle. The beer was no longer cold; it warmed up in her hands. Rachel had finished her beer; the empty bottle now on the table.

Max finally wiped her face from her crying with the sleeve of her coat. She downed her beer in large gulps. She shook her head, letting Rachel's story sink in.

"I… I am so sorry, Rachel," Max said. She looked at Rachel and frowned. "I cannot believe you went through hell like that…"

"It's pretty fucked up," Rachel said solemnly, "I still have nightmares about it… but I've grown… I've moved on…"

Max held Rachel's hand tightly. She sniffled, closing her eyes shut.

"Max, it's okay," Rachel said with a small smile, hugging Max appreciatively. "I'm fine. I'm here. I'm alive."

"I just don't understand how someone could be so fucked up!" Max exclaimed, inhaling sharply. She pulled away from Rachel's embrace.

"I… I was captured by Jefferson too… but it was not as horrible as what he did to you… He hurt you so, so many times… you watched Kelly die… you were taken away…" Max continued. "He… he fucking almost…" Max shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"Don't feel bad for me, Max," Rachel said. "I'm sorry you went through Jefferson's psycho perversion too… Just because mine was a much worse experience, it doesn't make yours and the other girls' experiences any less horrible."

Max thought about Kate Marsh and what she must have gone through when she was kidnapped and drugged. She thought about what could have happened to Victoria. She thought about the other girls who were Mr. Jefferson's victims.

" _Rachel Amber was your victim, not your 'subject,'"_ Max remembered growling at Mr. Jefferson when she was in his Dark Room.

 _"Oh... Rachel Amber... That's the real tragedy,"_ Jefferson had replied. _"Nathan thought he could be an artist like me... Instead, the dumbass gave her an overdose."_

" _No, Jefferson, you're wrong…"_ Max thought, glancing at Rachel. _"Jefferson was the dumbass for overdosing Kelly! And he lied that Nathan killed Rachel!"_

After a few more small sobs and trying to calm down, Max collected herself. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater and leaned back against the wall. Her face was hot from crying.

"…Rachel in the Dark Room…" Max said softly. She furrowed her eyebrows quizzically.

"That's what Nathan kept screaming," Rachel said. She stretched her legs in front of her, which were still under the blanket that she shared with Max. "'Rachel in the Dark Room.'"

Max gasped. She had an epiphany. She sat up straight, wide-eyed, and looked at Rachel.

"I remember the time Chloe and I snuck into Principal Wells' office at Blackwell Academy—in the alternate timeline," Max said frantically. "We were looking for clues about where you might have been or why one of my classmates tried to kill herself… We wanted information on Nathan…"

Rachel nodded, listening to Max.

"We found drawings that supposedly belonged to Nathan in Principal Wells' computer," Max continued, speaking quickly. "The drawings were of 'Rachel in the Dark Room' scribbled over and over. Just 'Rachel in the Dark Room, Rachel in the Dark Room' all over the page!"

"Yikes. That sounds a lot like how Nathan was behaving the night I was taken away," Rachel replied. "Nathan sounded and looked so sorry… like he was scared for me and didn't want me to be taken away as Jefferson planned."

"That explains his panic attack," Max said, shaking her head in disbelief. "He felt overwhelmed… conflicted between helping you… or helping Jefferson."

"I could see him and hear him talk to himself, pacing" Rachel said. "It was like his thoughts were running through his head a mile a minute."

"Rachel, I think Nathan drew those drawings and scribbled 'Rachel in the Dark Room' because he was so guilty of being a part of your kidnapping and being Jefferson's accomplice…" Max said.

Max remembered the heart-breaking voice message she received from Nathan five years ago in the alternate timeline while she drove in the middle of the storm…

 _"Max, it's... it's Nathan. I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt Kate or Rachel, or... didn't want to hurt anybody. Everybody... used me,"_ Max remembered hearing Nathan's voice breaking as he apologized on the phone. _"Mr. Jefferson... is coming for me now. All this shit will be over soon. Watch out, Max... He wants to hurt you next. Sorry."_

Max held Rachel's forearm and looked into her eyes.

"Rachel, don't you realize? Nathan scribbled that over and over again not just because he was driven mad… but he wanted to give Principal Wells or David clues!" Max continued, shocked by her realization. "He didn't want to rat on Mr. Jefferson because he feared for his life, but he wanted the authorities to know about the Dark Room! Rachel… Nathan was trying to help you… or avenge you… He was trying to prevent Jefferson from kidnapping other girls!"

Rachel looked into Max's eyes. Max could see Rachel's eyes water. Rachel exhaled and looked at the ceiling, as if she had received the best news in years.

"Fucking Nathan," Rachel chuckled sadly. "I knew that brat was on my side… I just… I wasn't so sure…"

"Even though he helped Mr. Jefferson… in the end, he didn't want you to be sent away," Max exclaimed. "You said it yourself! You said he just wanted to kidnap you and scare you to get back at you for stealing his money!"

"Thank you for telling me this, Max," Rachel said. She held Max's hand. Max nodded and gave Rachel a small, reassuring smile.

"All this time, I've wondered why Nathan drew those scribbles," Max said. "I wondered if it was because of his condition… I wondered how he would have known that you were in the Dark Room… But really, Nathan just got himself involved with a fucked-up psycho… in a fucked-up situation that he couldn't get out of."

"That poor kid," Rachel said softly, closing her eyes. "I hope he is okay…"

They remained silent for a moment. Max glanced at her phone to look at the time. It was almost two in the afternoon. She sighed and rested her elbows on her knees and her cheeks in her palms. She looked around the hideout, still letting Rachel's story and her epiphany sink in. She turned and looked at Rachel.

"So… where did those men take you?" Max finally asked.

"Well, I had no idea for the longest time…" Rachel replied. "I was practically knocked out the whole car ride to wherever the hell they drove me… Every time I woke up, I was confused and disoriented, hearing the sound of the car engine and feeling the bumps on the road as they drove. Before I had the chance to look around, I felt them inject me with the medication again… and again…"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Max sighed, shaking her head. She leaned backward against the wall, her shoulder and upper arm grazing Rachel's.

"Who knows how many hours or days that whole ordeal lasted?" Rachel continued. "All I know was that my body was weak and I remained paralyzed for the most part... And as I was knocked out, I dreamt a lot about Chloe… about school… about Long Beach… I honestly thought I was dead and stuck in limbo or some shit."

Max noticed Rachel twirling the blue feather earring on her left ear with her fingers. Max stared at Rachel, feeling oddly warm and content.

"Soon, I woke up to the sound of the back doors of the van opening," Rachel continued. "The two men in black were now dressed in parkas, cargo pants, and boots. I peered out the doors of the van and saw pure white ground, white sky—just a white landscape all around. I thought I was in heaven…"

Even with Rachel sitting by her while talking about a dark past, Max could not help but be mesmerized by Rachel's beauty. She was engaged in the story, watching Rachel's soft lips as she spoke. Max continued to listen to Rachel speaking.

"But then I realized that the white ground was just snow… One of the men lifted me up and slung me on his shoulder… I was still paralyzed and weak, only strong enough to lift my head to look around me. It was snowing heavily…" Rachel said. "I saw trees and snow around us stretching as far as my eyes could see. They walked for a few more yards… The weird thing is… I did not feel the cold of the snow or the winds that blew at us… I wondered if it was from all the medication numbing my senses…"

"How strange…" Max replied, tilting her head, listening to Rachel.

"Soon, the two men stopped walking. They spoke for a little bit… and before I knew it, the men tossed me in the air," Rachel continued. She shook her head, recalling the memory. "I had a chance to look around me while I was in the air… I realized that I had been thrown off a cliff!"

"What?!" Max gasped.

"As I was falling, I looked up, trying to focus on the two men who transported me and threw me," Rachel continued. "But the snow fall was too thick and blowing so strongly."

"Oh, my fucking God!" Max exclaimed. She gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. "They just dumped you off the cliff?!"

"Yeah… as I was hurling downward by the edge of the snowy, rocky cliff side, I felt the wind rushing on my face and my entire body…" Rachel continued, looking at her feet. "I looked below and I was falling toward the snow-capped trees below, hundreds of feet to the ground… The weird thing is…"

Rachel paused, looking up from the ground at Max.

"I was falling slowly, drifting and flying, almost… like I was falling in slow motion," Rachel said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "It was a fucking trip, Max… I felt like a feather being gently lowered to the ground, slowly… The wind guided me, making me float downward. I marveled at the beautiful, snow-capped landscape surrounding me…"

"Were you scared?" Max asked.

"Not at all… I no longer felt pain, and I did not feel the cold… I felt my body slowly descend to the ground… I must have fallen at least a thousand feet," Rachel replied. "I eventually landed softly in the middle of a dense forest. I felt the soft snow on the ground that I landed on… but my body was not shivering… A California girl like me would have been trembling at the cold… it must have been below 20 degrees Fahrenheit!"

"How the heck did you survive that?" Max asked. "Was it… did it have something to do with your powers?"

"Looking back, it probably did," Rachel replied. "I could not figure out how to explain it and how I survived such a hella tall cliff dive… I couldn't move my body because of the medication, but I knew that I wasn't injured."

"Jesus…" Max muttered.

"I lied there for a few minutes… until I fell back asleep, thinking I was going to freeze my ass to death," Rachel said. "But I woke up just fine, hours—maybe days—later! I was able to move my limbs and I was no longer in pain… I felt weak, but I stood up just fine."

Max thought about the time she spoke with Daniel DaCosta, a classmate of hers who loved to draw, five years ago. Max had asked Daniel about Rachel's whereabouts while she was missing.

" _She just stopped coming to class. Some people say she ran away, some say she jumped off a cliff…"_ Max remembered Daniel saying. _"I just hope she's okay…"_

"Maybe you _are_ immortal!" Max half-joked.

Rachel chuckled and smiled at Max.

"I don't think that's it," Rachel responded. "I think… I think my ability to control the weather—or nature—allowed me to be unaffected by the cold… I must've manipulated the wind to gently lower me down the cliff."

Max gasped, impressed.

"That is _so_ fucking cool," Max said in awe.

They sat in silence for a moment.

Max recalled her intense conversation with Mr. Jefferson in the Dark Room when she was tied up and drugged in the alternate timeline.

" _Where is Nathan now?"_ Max remembered asking Mr. Jefferson.

" _Dead and buried,"_ Mr. Jefferson had responded. _"After what he did to Rachel, I knew I couldn't keep him as a protégé for much longer. Now the police will never find his body…"_

" _I wonder if Jefferson in that timeline ordered the same men to take Nathan away like they did with Rachel…"_ Max thought to herself. She shivered at the thought of Nathan being thrown off the cliff.

"If I wasn't so scared, I would have thought it was hella awesome," Rachel added. "But I still didn't know where I was, or if I was even still in Oregon… I walked for hours… days… weeks… I was barefoot, hardly had any clothes, and the wound on my waist needed better healing…"

"Did it get infected?" Max asked.

"It didn't, thankfully," Rachel said. "It healed pretty well on its own, actually… I kept it clean, melting the snow into water to drink and to use it to clean my wound. Wanna see?"

Rachel lifted her shirt, revealing her bare stomach and waist for Max to marvel at. Max felt a pang of electricity throughout her body. She could see a raised, skin-colored linear scar on Rachel's waist.

"I can't believe I didn't notice it earlier today," Max said, to herself mostly.

"Oh, so you were checking me out?" Rachel said smugly. She smirked at Max.

"I… well…" Max said, smiling.

"For all I know, maybe you used you powers to your advantage too," Rachel joked with a sly look.

"What? You're silly!" Max laughed.

"Don't lie, Caulfield!" Rachel laughed, lowering her shirt back down. "Maybe you made a move on me and I would never know!"

" _That's also what Chloe said to me when I showed her my powers at the Two Whales Diner,"_ Max thought.

"Yes, that's what I did," Max joked back. She pushed Rachel's shoulder playfully.

"Knew it!" Rachel said. She pushed Max back with her shoulder playfully too.

They laughed.

"Did you run into anyone?" Max asked. "How did you even survive in the forest?"

"For months, I didn't see anyone. I couldn't find roads or houses. I was in the wilderness. I thought I was going to die," Rachel answered. "But I discovered that I could create fire if I concentrated hard enough…"

"Fire?!" Max exclaimed. "You can control nature and create fire too?!"

"I gathered bundles of wood one day, trying to rub and twist them together to build a fire to signal hikers or people in planes or helicopters… but it was no use," Rachel said. "I tried striking rocks, and didn't get anywhere… I got angry, kicked a pile of wood over, and soon enough, a flame burned on the pile… It freaked me out."

"That's awesome!" Max exclaimed. "Your powers sound incredible."

"It definitely was hard to get used to… I had to practice a lot… I spent entire days honing my powers," Rachel continued. "I was able to control the wind to shake trees for birds' nests to fall… I would gather the eggs, cook them, and ate them like every day… If I came across a river stream, I stuck my hand in the water, increased the water's temperature into a boil, and all the fish nearby died and floated. Caught them with a net I made… My body was accustomed to the harsh weather… I ventured for days, still wondering where I was."

"Who knew you were the outdoorsy type?" Max said. "It always seemed like you were too… 'high class' for the outdoors."

"High class?" Rachel laughed.

"Yeah! Like, you were too posh and proper for going camping or whatever," Max chuckled. "Blackwell kids made it seem like you were their queen. I couldn't help but think you were the 'Victoria-type.'"

"Uh, definitely not like Victoria," Rachel chuckled. "But I definitely struggled the first few weeks on my own. I had horrible nightmares of my evening at Jefferson's office… but my body healed and I stayed persistent… After being alone for what seemed like months, after not finding civilization, I contemplated killing myself…"

"Jesus…" Max sighed. "I'm… I'm glad you didn't."

"Have you ever heard of prairie fever?" Rachel asked.

Max nodded.

"I was driven to madness, Max… I was going crazy just being outside, isolated, away from anyone and everyone… I did not even run into that many animals… maybe they were terrified of me… maybe they sensed my power of nature," Rachel continued. "I wanted a bear or a goddamn wolf pack to find me and eat me… I really believed that I was stuck in my own personal hell… but instead of the fiery depths of hell, it was the frozen harshness of the snow."

Rachel paused. She looked at her hands, she was rubbing the knuckles of one of her hands with her other hand, thinking deeply.

"I wondered if this was my punishment… for cheating on Chloe with Frank," Rachel continued. She frowned and closed her eyes, having difficulty speaking. "I wondered if Chloe and Frank were better off without me anyway… I wondered if it was worth trying to survive in the forest, if it was worth trying to go back home… I decided that I didn't deserve them and that they deserved a less fucked-up life without me…"

"Rachel…" Max said comfortingly.

"I finally reached a small town… I couldn't believe my eyes!" Rachel continued. "By then, I had perfected my powers… when I could control them, that is. I was able to create fire, to create wind, to make snowfall avoid falling on me… When I entered the inn of the small town, I spoke with the owner. He looked at me worriedly. He could not believe that I was traveling alone, without enough clothes, and barefoot. He gave me some boots and clothes from the inn's shop. He never questioned where I came from…"

"Did you try to call home?" Max asked.

"I tried once… but no one picked up that time; didn't try again… I wanted to call Chloe, but I decided not to… Waves of guilt rushed over me for days…" Rachel responded. Max noted how sad and disappointed Rachel looked. "The owner was nice enough for letting me stay at the inn for those few days… I found out that I was in a forest in Alaska."

"Wowser!" Max exclaimed. "Those men drove you all the way there?!"

"Yeah, they sure did," Rachel said. "Jefferson probably thought I would never survive being thrown off the cliff… he probably figured that no one would find my body in the middle of nowhere… it was his way of getting rid of me without authorities finding traces of me… to make it seem like I ran away."

"I… I saw a postcard in Chloe's room in my alternate timeline when I saved her," Max said. "It said 'Miss you... Wish you were here!' Your name was on it. It was sent from Seaside, Oregon."

"That was definitely not from me… Maybe Jefferson forged it to make it seem like I was fine," Rachel replied. "I made no real effort to reach Chloe… I couldn't face her. Being in the woods made me think about the fucked-up choices I've made… I knew Chloe would try to look for me and go to Frank."

Rachel paused. Max could see that her face was red and her eyes were watering again.

"I worried that Chloe would find those photos of me and Frank," Rachel continued. "I figured she would have found out about me cheating on her with Frank by then. I was too coward and I couldn't live with myself."

Max looked at the ground, listening to Rachel's confession. She felt so sorry for Rachel… she remembered how much Chloe was desperate to find her, but she wondered if she herself would be able to face Chloe if she had cheated on Chloe too… Max would have not want to see Chloe hurt again… or to hurt Chloe in anyway.

"When I left the inn, the owner kindly provided me with a backpack on my back, some cash, food, a water bottle, a sleeping bag, and clothes to last me on my journey to nowhere and everywhere…" Rachel continued. "I grew to enjoy being on my own, in the wilderness, in the open road… Fuck, it was amazing… I traveled everywhere, Max… And here I am."

Rachel smiled, looking up, remembering her years on foot and on her own.

"Soon, years past and I figured there was no point in trying to reconnect with my family or with Chloe…" Rachel said. "Especially since my love for her was fading throughout these years… And…"

Rachel paused and took a deep breath.

"I figured she had moved on too," Rachel said solemnly. "I was on the road. My mind was focused on just myself. I had a clear head. I loved it out there... but something told me I had to come back to Arcadia Bay."

"How did you get by?" Max asked. "I'm sure you ran out of cash soon… Wouldn't your face and name raise red flags wherever you went since you're registered as a missing person?"

"Apparently not," Rachel replied. "No one cares about the news of a missing girl from the small town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon. And apparently, like you said, my parents gave up looking for me… I guess I'm just another girl in another faraway city… but I got by… By stealing, hustling, gambling..."

Max's eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"Sometimes it was the only way to get quick cash," Rachel said. She smiled embarrassingly. "But I had to do what I needed to do to get by, you know? I was… am… a vagabond."

Max nodded and continued listening to Rachel.

"There were times when I would show up at a gas station and catch someone's car on fire…" Rachel said, chuckling a bit. "I would run into the store and scream that someone's car was on fire, and the store owner would rush out with a fire extinguisher. Everyone in the vicinity would run away, fearing the entire gas station would blow up into flames. While they were busy running around in the chaos, I stole food from the shelves and money from the register."

"That's… wow," Max said. "It sounds a little badass. I hope no one got hurt!"

"Of course not," Rachel responded, smirking slightly proudly. "I made it rain to put the fire out… and then I made it rain too!"

Rachel laughed at her pun. She motioned with her hands as if she was spilling money onto the floor. Max smiled and shook her head.

"Where's your backpack now?" Max asked.

"It's back in Chloe's closet," Rachel said. "I left it there for now… It feels good not having to carry that thing around for once… I stayed at hostels, showered at gyms, rec centers, stayed wherever I could… I probably traveled the entirety of this country… backpacking on an endless journey. I saw so many places, landmarks, met so many people… Always stealing from stores… creating fires or causing havoc with my powers to distract others while I stole from them or had to run away…"

"Must have been very useful," Max said with a small smile. "I definitely stole using my powers too."

Rachel chuckled. "What? Really? When?"

"I used my powers to steal Frank's keys to his RV. Chloe and I broke in and went through his dingy home," Max replied. She chuckled. "Maybe you and I should team up for future heists!"

They laughed.

"As I continued to use and practice my powers, I often looked back and realized the first time I think I noticed my powers," Rachel said. "You mentioned that you discovered your time-rewinding powers when you saw Chloe in the bathroom—the first time you saw her since you moved to Seattle five years prior… I also got my powers around the time I met Chloe too."

Rachel sighed. Max looked at her, curious about the origin of Rachel's powers. Rachel continued.

"We… we burned a photo of me and my dad in a trashcan at one of the parks in the woods. I was angry at him… I kicked the trashcan, which caught a tree on fire…" Rachel continued. "When I screamed, the wind grew stronger and it had lit the tree faster… The whole forest was on fire days after that. The fire spread so quickly. It was impossible, but it happened… It happened because of me. I caused a forest fire. It was horrible."

Max remembered about the storm that occurred just last night. She remembered that whenever Rachel screamed, the storm grew fiercely.

"Another time was when my parents were arguing with Chloe in our dining room," Rachel added. "The candles that were lit on the table had grown larger and brighter as my anger grew."

"It can't just be a coincidence that you were with Chloe when you discovered your powers… and I was with Chloe when I discovered mine… Right?" Max responded. "It just doesn't make sense _why_ we got our powers… but it feels like we were _meant_ to have them, you know?"

"Right! I think everything happens for a reason, Max," Rachel said, nodding her head. "You got yours to save her from getting shot by Nathan... to experience your adventure that led to the discovery of Jefferson's secret—to put his ass in prison. And I got mine… well, I still don't know why I got mine… maybe to save my life… maybe to find you… But I know deep down that I was meant to have them too."

"If… if Chloe could be the catalyst of discovering our powers… do you think that she might have had powers too?" Max added, her eyes wide-eyed in wonder. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Rachel. "Do you think… do you think that other people have powers too? Powers like we do?"

Rachel looked at Max quizzically and contemplatively.

"Chloe? With powers?" Rachel exclaimed, chuckling. "Pffft! She would have hella abused her powers for shits and giggles!"

"Right?" Max giggled. "Who knows what crazy shenanigans she'd get herself into?"

"You mean more so than she already did without powers?" Rachel joked.

They laughed. Rachel rested her head on Max's shoulder. Max looked at Rachel and relaxed her body. She rested her head on Rachel's.

"Can you imagine what we would be capable of if the three of us all had powers? …And if we were all here together?" Rachel asked, looking at the sky, beyond the gaps between the wooden boards that was the ceiling. "We could save the world—the universe!"

"A trio of heroes," Max sighed. She thought about the superhero comic strips she and Chloe used to draw when they were kids called _The Adventurous Adventures of Super Max and Dr. Chloenstein_.

Max and Rachel sat in silence enjoying each other's company for a few moments.

"How long are you visiting Arcadia Bay for?" Rachel finally spoke.

Max paused. The thought of her heading back home to Los Angeles hadn't come across her mind the whole time she was in Arcadia Bay.

" _I don't know if I want to leave anymore,"_ Max thought. _"Definitely not after meeting Rachel Amber… not after finding out that she's alive… Having bonded with her this whole time changes everything."_

Max lifted her head and looked at Rachel. Rachel lifted her head from Max's shoulder. Max marveled at her beauty, her heart beating faster and harder. She had gotten so close to Rachel within the past day, and she couldn't believe how comfortable they have grown with each other.

Rachel looked into Max's eyes, reaching… anticipating an answer. Her face was centimeters away from Max's. Max looked at Rachel's lips, at Rachel's blue feathered earring, and into Rachel's hazel eyes.

Max felt a jolt in her heart.

" _I can't leave… Not without Rachel,"_ Max thought. _"I'll stay if I have to."_

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

I was worried that this was not much of a cliffhanger… Keep reading! I am trying to post once a week now! ;)


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes:**

Be sure to listen to the songs mentioned in this chapter! Once you read up to that part, stop reading, look up the songs on YouTube or Spotify, and give them a listen after or while you read! It will definitely add onto the story! I hope you enjoy the songs and this uplifting chapter of Max and Rachel enjoying each other's company!

 **Chapter Twelve**

Max sighed, sadly remembering the plane ticket back home inside her bag in Chloe's room.

"I fly back home this Monday… the 8th," Max replied. She saw a saddened and disappointed look on Rachel's face.

"But… that's… so soon," Rachel sighed. She smiled longingly at Max. "I'm just getting to know you, Max. Yet I feel like I've known you longer than I actually have."

"I feel the same way… This trust…" Max replied. "Like I've known you forever… like you and I are supposed to meet… like we've met before, Rachel."

" _Even though I don't know her,"_ Max remembered how she felt about Rachel five years ago while investigating with Chloe. _"It feels like Rachel is guiding us to the truth…"_

Rachel sighed and stood up, stretching her arms and legs.

"Welp! I think I've sat for too long," Rachel said. "We're out of alcohol, the weed is too disgusting… And I'm sorry for bumming you out with my depressing story."

"Don't be sorry, Rachel," Max said, smiling at Rachel reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're okay now, you know?" Max paused. "Are you?"

"Let's see… One, I'm here in our hideout—one place I don't hate in Arcadia Bay," Rachel smiled back, counting along with her fingers. "Two, I finally got the chance to meet the famous Max Caulfield. Three, I control the weather and nature. And four, I'm STD-free! I'm fantastic! Are you?"

"I'm fantastic too," Max laughed. "Can't complain."

"No, I mean, are you also STD-free?" Rachel joked.

They laughed. Rachel leaned down and gently slapped Max's knee, who still sat on the bench.

"Let's get our mind off of this depressing bullshit!" Rachel exclaimed. "This place needs some cheering up! It's cluttered with our sad moods."

"What do you have in mind?" Max asked. She removed the blanket off of her lap, folded it, and tossed it into the tote bag on the table.

"I'm thinking we do something fun, Caulfield," Rachel replied. She smirked at Max.

Rachel glanced around the hideout until her eyes fell onto a radio that sat on one of the small shelves along the wall. She turned around and gave Max a sly look while slowly removing her jacket and tossing it onto the bench.

"What?" Max raised one eyebrow, stretching her arms and legs.

Rachel walked to the radio and turned it on.

The song _"Suddenly I See"_ by KT Tunstall began to play on the radio. The upbeat sound of the guitar, bass, and drums boomed around the hideout. Rachel cranked up the volume dial.

"Perfect! What a choice song to dance to!" Rachel giggled. She walked over to Max and winked at her while bouncing her hips from side to side to the music. She held a hand out to Max and motioned her to join her.

"Oh… oh no! No no no!" Max laughed nervously, shaking her head swiftly. "You are _not_ making me do that!"

"Come on, Caulfield!" Rachel yelled over the music. "Let's fucking dance!"

" _She's just like Chloe…"_ Max thought, smiling to herself, and shaking her head at Rachel. "… _wanting to make me dance."_

"Aw, come on! You don't like KT Tunstall?" Rachel said, continuing to dance. "Who doesn't like this song?"

 _~Her face is a map of the world, i_ _s a map of the world…~_

"This song is so cheesy, though!" Max whined.

"Who cares?! You know you love it!" Rachel motioned her arms for Max to stand by her. "Be my dance partner, Max!"

 _~You can see she's a beautiful girl, s_ _he's a beautiful girl…~_

Max sat in silence, blushing, contemplating, watching Rachel dance in awe… She watched Rachel jumping up and down, getting lost in her own world while dancing.

"Fuck it! Okay!" Max yelled. She stood up quickly, removing her coat and placing it on the bench where she sat.

 _~And everything around her is a silver pool of light.  
_ _The people who surround her feel the benefit of it…~_

"Hella yes!" Rachel held her hand out to Max again.

 _~It makes you calm._ _She holds you captivated in her palm…~_

Max grabbed Rachel's hand, and Rachel pulled Max closer to her and they both giggle.

 _~Suddenly I see, t_ _his is what I wanna be.  
_ _Suddenly I see, w_ _hy the hell it means so much to me…~_

Rachel and Max jumped up and down, twisting their hips and moving their shoulders to the beat. Max watched Rachel sway her hips and roll her body like an expert. Max was mesmerized with how well Rachel could dance… and how hot she looked.

 _~I feel like walking the world, l_ _ike walking the world.  
_ _You can hear she's a beautiful girl, s_ _he's a beautiful girl…~_

Rachel clasped Max's hand and lifted her arm above their heads. She twirled Max under her arm to Max's surprise. Max giggled and she did the same to Rachel. They could not stop laughing and smiling.

 _~She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white.  
_ _Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember, w_ _hat you heard…~_

Rachel lifted her arms in the air and bobbed her head side to side while Max tried her best to not look like a dork. She extended one arm out and one arm in repeatedly to the beat of the music while moving her hips side to side.

Rachel edged closer to Max, moving her body smoothly, occasionally grazing and grinding against Max. Every time their bodies touched, Max felt a warm sensation radiating all over her skin.

 _~She likes to leave you hanging on a wire…~_

Rachel grabbed Max's hand again. She placed her other hand on the small of Max's back. She motioned Max to bend backwards with Rachel's hand supporting Max's weight. Their other hands clasped together tightly. Max dipped downward, bending backward, and she was brought back up. Rachel winked at Max, puckering her lips jokingly. They both giggled.

 _~Suddenly I see, t_ _his is what I wanna be…~_

Max, still holding Rachel's hand, extended her arm out. Rachel pirouetted and curled herself into Max's arm, her chest pressed against Max's.

 _~Suddenly I see, w_ _hy the hell it means so much to me…~_

Max and Rachel laughed and stopped dancing momentarily, catching their breaths. As the song slows down to the bridge, Rachel placed her hands on Max's shoulders. Max placed her hands on Rachel's waist. They looked at each other and smiled, slowly swaying back and forth to the music. Max could feel her heart racing and her palms starting to sweat, unsure if it was because she was dancing or because of how close she stood—and was being held—by Rachel.

 _~And she's taller than most, a_ _nd she's looking at me.  
_ _I can see her eyes looking from the page of a magazine…~_

Rachel and Max slowly rocked side to side in a slow dance, holding each other close. Max worried how awkward she must look, and she smiled nervously.

She broke eye contact from Rachel's out of embarrassment, and looked downward, only to realize that she was looking right down Rachel's shirt. Max immediately shot her head up to the ceiling of the hide out, blushing. Rachel chuckled.

 _~Oh, she makes me feel like I could be a tower,  
a_ _big strong tower, yeah…~_

"You got moves, Caulfield," Rachel said softly.

Max smiled and scoffed.

"More like… I got wiggles and jumps," Max said nervously, still panting trying to catch her breath. "That's literally how I dance. I just can't."

 _~The power to be, t_ _he power to give, t_ _he power to see~_

"Well, you did your best," Rachel chuckled again. "I'll give you that…"

Rachel slid her hands upward from Max's shoulders, allowing her elbows to rest on them. She held Max closer. Max felt the electricity firing up inside her. Her body felt tense and limp at the same time as she was gently and ever so slightly pressed against Rachel.

"Thanks, Rachel... But you're the better dancer," Max said. Her body started to feel warm and calm now. Max felt Rachel's body pressed closer against hers. Her hands were now sliding from Rachel's waist to Rachel's lower hips.

Their faces were centimeters apart. Max knew that she and Rachel were the same height, but it was definitely apparent when she was staring right into Rachel's hazel eyes.

 _~Suddenly I see, t_ _his is what I wanna be~_

"What if I dared you to kiss me?" Rachel said abruptly, slightly blushing.

Max blinked several times, her heart skipping a beat.

"What? W-why?" Max asked quickly and nervously.

"You know, just to complete the trifecta," Rachel half-joked, still blushing.

"Trifecta?" Max chuckled, also blushing but redder than Rachel. "You're high, Rachel!"

"I'm serious!" Rachel laughed. "I kissed Chloe. Chloe kissed you… and now you gotta kiss me! While you're still here in Arcadia Bay."

Rachel gave Max a smug look. Max still blushing, remained silent, unsure how to answer.

" _I just met Rachel Amber yesterday… It would be hella fucking weird to kiss her!"_ Max thought frantically. _"…Would it? I mean, it's just a dare… right?"_

 _~Suddenly I see, w_ _hy the hell it means so much to me…~_

Realizing Max's awkward silence, Rachel looked away and apologized. "S-sorry, Max. I didn't mean to bring that up or weird you out."

Max felt Rachel slowly pulling herself from her body.

"N-No, it's okay," Max responded quickly, wondering if Rachel could feel her hands trembling on Rachel's waist. "I'm not weirded out—"

"—I just feel very euphoric," Rachel said, still looking away embarrassed. She continued to pull away from Max. "Probably from the alcohol, the weed, and the dancing."

As the song ended, Max gently pulled Rachel back close to her. Max looked into Rachel's eyes, reassuring her that she did not mind Rachel's sudden dare. Max wanted Rachel to know that she was fine. She smiled at Rachel. Rachel sheepishly smiled back.

Another song played softly after: _"Scorpio Rising"_ by Soccer Mommy. The song started slowly; the guitar strumming softly, filling the hideout. It immediately changed the mood.

Without thinking about it, Max and Rachel began rocking back and forth again, holding each other in a slow dance once more.

Max looked into Rachel's eyes, looking for a sign to read that would indicate that Rachel was serious... that Rachel was serious about her dare… serious about wanting to kiss Max. Max wanted it to be real. Max could see in Rachel's eyes that Rachel really wanted her dare to be real too.

 _~Kissed you in the park,  
W_ _e'll meet up after dark~_

"Do… do you mean it?" Max asked.

"Mean what?" Rachel replied.

"Your dare," Max said softly, almost a whisper.

"Yeah, dork," Rachel joked. "What's taking you so long?"

 _~In your car with the backseat, southern summer.  
_ _Ignored all the missed calls from your mother~_

Max smiled nervously. She momentarily bit her lower lip from nervousness. Rachel stared at Max's lips and looked back up at Max's eyes.

"I can ask the same to you…" Max whispered.

 _~And kiss me in the park, w_ _e'll meet up after dark~_

Before Max knew it, Rachel closed her eyes and slowly leaned closer to Max, placing a kiss on Max's lips. Max's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, but she also closed her eyes, getting lost in the kiss.

 _~And we'll talk until morning hits the windshield,  
A_ _nd paints yellow lines on the field~_

Their lips parted and pressed together, gently. Their kisses were slow and soft. Max's heart was beating fast. She could feel the softness and warmth of Rachel's lips. She could feel Rachel's chest pressed up against hers. She felt Rachel's hips grazing against hers. As their lips pulled apart from each other's, Max and Rachel exhaled, breathing softly between each kiss.

 _~Now you want to start, w_ _ith someone not so far.  
_ _Oh, she's bubbly and sweet like a Coca-Cola.  
_ _I watch from my drink as you look her over~_

Their eyes remained closed. As the other instruments of the song joined in, the music boomed loudly. The sound waves of the song resonated in Max's body, making her heartbeat feel stronger. Max slid her hands from Rachel's back to her Rachel's side.

Their kiss continued in gentle, slow pecks. Rachel slipped her elbows from Max's shoulder. She slid her hands through Max's hair and placed them gently on Max's cheeks. They shared more kisses, longer pecks, and shorter pecks.

 _~The tab don't pop too hard.  
_ _You're sick of playing cards w_ _ith your love,  
You want warmth and I'm somethin' colder.  
_ _I'm putting your hands to her heart~_

Max and Rachel slowly pulled apart in a final gentle kiss. Rachel rested her forehead against Max's, their eyes closed momentarily as they continued to sway gently side to side. They both exhaled as if they had been holding their breaths.

They opened their eyes, pulled apart from each other, and laughed. Max held Rachel's sides, and Rachel rested her hands on Max's shoulders.

 _~I don't think of my life,  
A_ _nywhere but in your arms tonight~_

Max's face was red and Rachel had a shy grin on her face. Rachel bit her lip, trying not to smile so hard, and Max rubbed the back of her neck nervously and looked down.

 _~Won't say it this time._ _Can't even look back in your eyes~_

"Wow…" Rachel sighed happily.

"Um…" Max exhaled, grinning from ear to ear.

"I didn't even have to double dare you," Rachel shook her head, smiling. "And you kissed me anyway."

"Yeah, well… so did you," Max said.

"That I did..." Rachel said. "Couldn't resist."

 _~Kissed you in the park,  
_ _We'll meet up after dark~_

Max nodded shyly. They chuckled and smiled at each other in silence.

" _Holy shit! I just kissed Rachel Amber! What a fucking day…"_ Max thought. _"But… it probably didn't mean anything…"_

"Do you usually kiss people you meet after a day?" Max joked, chuckling. "Not as a dare, I mean…"

 _~It's a bite of the apple, the touch of your lips._ _I'm stuck in the bathroom and sick over it~_

" _Is this how people feel when they're around Rachel?"_ Max wondered, feeling giddy and her heart beating hard and fast. _"I wonder if Chloe felt this way for Rachel this quickly…"_

"Better question is: 'Do I kiss people I meet after an hour?'" Rachel laughed. "Making out is always fun, but it doesn't have to mean anything."

Max looked down and she smiled nervously, slightly disappointed. Rachel sensed Max's disappointment and gently lifted Max's chin to look into her eyes.

"But it did for me," Rachel said softly. "You know those sappy adventure movies or rom-coms where those corny love interests meet for the first time one day? And then they fall for each other—or whatever—and kiss the next day when the conflict is resolved?"

"Yeah," Max chuckled.

 _~'Cause you're made from the stars, t_ _hat we watched from your car~_

"I used to think that shit was total garbage," Rachel replied and smiled. "But it happened with Chloe the first time I met her… and it's happening all over again… It's happening with you, Max."

Max froze. Her heart raced.

" _Rachel is… falling for me?"_ Max thought.

 _~And I'm just a victim of changing planets,  
M_ _y Scorpio rising and my parents~_

"I know it's hella weird since we barely met… but you're making me fall for you like I can't explain," Rachel shook her head. "But I just… I just feel right with you… This whole time with you… it just feels fucking right, Max."

 _~I don't think of my life,  
_ _Anywhere but in your arms tonight~_

Max nodded her head and Rachel continued to speak.

"You came to visit Joyce and David, and I arrived in Arcadia Bay after five years, all on the same fucking day. It's just a damn coincidence," Rachel said without taking one breath. "It's like the universe is telling me—guiding the both of us—that we were meant to be here in this specific time, at this specific location, specifically with each other. It's just such… such…"

"Perfect timing?" Max added, smiling at Rachel. Her cheeks were red from blushing. "I feel the same way, Rachel. I'm… I'm falling for you too."

 _~Won't say it this time,  
_ _Can't even look back in your eyes~_

The song was coming to a close, ending as slowly as it began. Max and Rachel stopped slow-dancing, but they continued to hold each other closely.

"God, this is too fucking gay," Rachel exclaimed, shaking her head, trying to wave off the tension. Max could not believe that Rachel was just as nervous as she was.

They laughed. Rachel leaned into Max, kissing her softly again. Max kissed Rachel back, and they laughed softly again.

"This time spent with you has just been full of surprises and discoveries," Max said, sighing tiredly. "For the both of us."

"Let's not stop the surprises," Rachel blurted. "Show me your powers, Max."

"Uh… W-what?" Max stammered. Her body froze. "My p-powers?"

"Yeah! You impressed me with your dance moves and how great of a kisser you are," Rachel giggled and winked. "Impress me with your powers."

" _Shit!"_ Max thought. _"I knew Rachel was bound to ask me anytime now… But I can't blame her for being curious."_

"S-sure!" Max responded nervously. "Yeah, alright. Why not?"

Max's mind was completely jumbled from kissing Rachel who was still smiling. Max's head was spinning from what just happened. She could not believe the words that just flew out of her mouth.

" _What are you thinking, Max?!"_ Max thought. _"Quit kidding yourself, lover girl! You can't use your powers!"_

Whether it was Max feeling daring again or her mind being clouded with the aftermath of kissing Rachel, Max felt the need to listen to Rachel… Max felt the importance of feeling vulnerable and trusted with Rachel… just as Rachel has been with Max.

"Show me what you got, Mad Max," Rachel exclaimed. She looked at Max and they kissed again. Rachel stepped away from Max and made her way toward the doorway of the hideout, grinning excitedly.

Max regretted what she had agreed to. It felt like her heart was thumping in her throat. She nervously closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. Then she looked down at her hands, rotating them from palm down to palm up, observing her fingerprints, the lines, and knuckles.

"Okay," Max said to herself, trying to calm down.

" _Are you cereal, Max?"_ Max thought. _"I thought you were done with using your powers! …This is what I get for wanting to impress Rachel Amber…"_

Max looked up from her hands and watched as Rachel exited the hideout. Max slowly and reluctantly followed after her.

"This will be awesome!" Rachel said excitedly while skipping to a clearing of the junkyard. "You've seen my powers in action, so it's time to see Doctor Max's powers!"

"Was that an actual Doctor Who reference?" Max smirked, shaking her head.

"Uh… sure. I guess?" Rachel answered with a questioning look on her face. "But I was going for Doctor Strange. Doesn't he manipulate time or some shit?"

"Well, I mean, sort of… Doctor Who time travels—travels through different dimensions," Max chuckled. Her hands were trembling and she was slightly sweating, nervous for her powers that she was about to demonstrate. "And I guess… that's… what I'll be doing now…"

"Doctor Who. Doctor Strange. Doctor Max," Rachel shook her head and motioned her hand from left to right. "I can't with this geeky shit."

They laughed.

" _Do I even still have my powers?"_ Max thought again, growing more nervous with every minute. _"What if I don't? What if I fuck shit up again?"_

Max watched Rachel jog and jump in place, anticipating Max's next move. Rachel looked around her, squinting her eyes as if looking for something.

Max stood where she was. She looked down at her hands again, concentrating. She closed her eyes and her fists.

" _I… I have to try,"_ Max thought. _"But I have to be careful… Just use my powers lightly—"_

"—Heads up, Caulfield!" Rachel yelled loudly to Max, smiling.

Max lifted her head immediately and looked at Rachel. Before Max knew it, Rachel had hurled an empty beer bottle at Max. Max's eyes shot wide open. The empty beer bottle was coming at her hard and fast!

Max lifted her right hand in front of her, facing her palm outward.

" _Here I go!_ " Max thought.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

 _Rachel: Let's leave. For real._

 _Chloe: For real, huh?_

 _Rachel: You said you wanted to skip town and never look back. Like I said last night, let's do it!_

 _..._

 _Chloe: I'm feeling like an indefinitely long road trip._

 _Rachel: That sounds like the greatest idea anyone's ever thought of. You and me, driving down the coast, filling up our truck with hilarious souvenirs, and every night we'll find a different beach to walk along and watch the sun go down._

—Life is Strange - Before the Storm: Episode 2 - Brave New World

Max is hella ready for action! Are you?!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes:**

Hey everyone! I apologize for the month-long hiatus! I am currently half-way through nursing school and it is sure kicking my butt being busy with all the studying, assignments, and what-not! Expect the updates to be spaced out and less frequent. I am very sorry! However, I have not forgotten about this story! So, let us continue!

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Max lifted her right hand in front of her with her palm out. She was staring straight at the beer bottle that was tumbling toward her, thrown by Rachel. She concentrated on the bottle and braced herself.

A dull, pulling sensation in her head was felt, then it radiated throughout her entire body. It felt like gravity was pulling her down. She winced at the strange, but familiar feeling.

Then Max watched as the bottle stopped in mid-air, and then continued to float extremely slowly toward her. It was moving about a millimeter a second toward her face. Max blinked, shocked.

She glanced at Rachel who appeared to be permanently standing in a baseball pitcher stance, her arm extended outward from throwing the bottle. A smug look on was Rachel's face. Max stared, wide-eyed in surprise.

" _Amazeballs!"_ Max thought. Her heart raced in her chest, hearing and feeling it thumping in her ears. _"Am… Am I slowing down time? Do I really still have my powers?!"_

The next second, the beer bottle immediately accelerated toward her in normal speed. Max reacted quickly and leaped sideways, avoiding the beer bottle. The bottle landed against the side wall of the hideout, shattering into pieces.

The pulling sensation on her body faded away, leaving her head pounding in pain. Max grasped her head, the familiar throbbing pain she felt when she had rewound time too far or too much… a feeling she last felt five years ago.

"AH!" Max groaned, she bent over slightly in pain. "FUCK!"

"Well. That wasn't exactly what I expected." Rachel said smugly. She rested her hands on her hips, looking at Max quizzically. "Oh shit! Max, your nose is bleeding! Are you okay?"

Max slowly touched her nostrils with her fingertips. A small amount of blood had dripped from her right nostril. She stared at the blood on her fingertips.

" _Holy shit! …Just that small moment alone took a toll on my body!"_ Max thought, breathing heavily. _"…It's going to be hella difficult to regain my power without my nose bleeding."_

Rachel jogged toward Max. She placed a hand on Max's shoulder and gave Max a look of concern. Max stood up straight and looked at Rachel, nodding that she was okay.

"I haven't used my powers in years," Max said chuckling. She was so surprised at herself. She did not think she had her powers anymore, especially since it has been too long since she used them. "But it totally worked!"

"Uh… you sure?" Rachel questioned, smiling and shaking her head. "I just saw you step aside from my game-winning pitch."

"Well, sort of… everything was moving in slow motion!" Max responded, wiping the blood from her fingertips onto her jeans. "The beer bottle came hurling at me, but slowly! Almost stopping completely, but I didn't reverse time—I just slowed time down!"

"Whoa…" Rachel replied. "You think you can do it again?"

"Maybe," Max said. "But I'm gonna need more practice!"

"Sure thing, Caulfield!" Rachel said encouragingly. She patted Max on the back and jogged back to the clearing where she previously stood, already looking around again for another empty beer bottle.

"But we're going to need a better test instead of throwing shit at me," Max added, laughing nervously. "And I'll need more practice first."

"What did you have in mind?" Rachel said playfully. She winked. "Gonna guess what color my bra and panties are?"

"Rachel, I already know what color they are," Max retorted, shaking her head. "I saw them in the bathroom this morning."

"Oh, yeah." Rachel giggled, then speaking softly under her breath. "And you'll see them again later."

"What?" Max asked, not sure if she heard Rachel correctly.

"What?" Rachel responded smugly, stifling her laughter.

"So, how are you going to prove your powers to me if your time-rewind only works on everything and everyone else—and doesn't affect you?" Rachel continued.

" _She's right,"_ Max thought. _"No one else can watch space and time rewind when I use my powers… just me."_

"I'll think of something," Max responded. She looked at the ground and all around her. Her eyes glanced at the hideout and down to the ground again, thinking to herself.

Max ran back inside the hideout to grab the five empty beer bottles that they just drank from. The sixth one was broken from Rachel throwing it on the ground when she had gotten upset about her parents. She picked up the five beer bottles, carrying them outside carefully.

"You need help there?" Rachel called out, smiling at the image of Max trying to balance five beer bottles in her arms.

"I'll practice with these," Max said, grinning. "We're going to break them, and I'm going to repair them over and over again."

"Wooow," Rachel said, chuckling. "That sounds astronomically boring."

"Hey! I need the practice!" Max whined.

"I'm only teasing, dude," Rachel replied, walking toward Max, grabbing two bottles from Max's arms. "But if it's your plan, it's as good as any! You got this, Max!"

Max walked a few yards toward a familiar clearing in the junkyard. Rachel followed behind. Max walked up to a makeshift counter top. It was the same counter top that Chloe used when they were practicing Max's time-rewinding powers while using David's gun.

Only this time, the counter top was still intact, not actually used and destroyed by Chloe and Max in this timeline… Max remembered Chloe lining up five bottles of beer for Chloe to shoot. Now, Max did the same as Rachel watched. Rachel placed the two beer bottles in her hands on the counter top as well.

"Ready to break them when you are, Max" Rachel said, hovering her hand above one of the beer bottles.

Max paused and looked thoughtfully at Rachel before speaking.

"You mentioned that you met other people during your travels…" Max began. "Did they know about your powers?"

"No, of course not. I didn't use them around other people. It would have been too risky," Rachel answered, sighing. "You're… you're the only one who knows, Max..."

Rachel smiled shyly at Max, and Max smiled back.

"Was Chloe the only one who knew about yours?" Rachel added.

Max remembered telling her friend Warren about her powers, her visions, and briefly about Jefferson at the Two Whales Diner. Max remembered that Warren believed her, and she was thankful for that.

"Besides Chloe, I told my friend, Warren," Max responded. "And he believed me. But I told him much later… and in the alternate timeline."

"So, in this timeline, no one knows," Rachel added, taking the words from Max's mouth. "Just me."

"Yeah. Just you, Rachel," Max answered quietly.

They smiled at each other again.

"Welp! Let's not waste any time! I'm ready to smash these things!" Rachel blurted. "I might bore to death!"

"You won't get bored! In fact, you won't even notice a thing!" Max laughed. She spoke excitedly. "Because while I will be practicing for however long it takes, no actual time will pass in your reality because I will be reversing it anyway."

"Uhhh… What?" Rachel said blankly. She chuckled. "I think I follow, but you're just cute when you're excited."

Max smiled. She took her cellphone out of her pocket.

"Okay, let's look at the time," Max said, holding her phone out for Rachel to see. "It is currently 3:30 in the afternoon. I could spend hours, maybe even days, working on my powers—"

"—And it will always stay 3:30 in the afternoon for me," Rachel added, wide-eyed. "Because you would be rewinding time!"

"Yes!" Max exclaimed, putting her phone back in her pocket. "Exactly! Man, I'm stoked for this. Isn't this neat?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Caulfield. I sure hope you don't bore easily. Kind of feel bad for you," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I hope it doesn't take you days to work on your powers. That would totally suck."

They laughed. Then they stood in silence.

Max looked at the ground, thinking deeply.

" _What if Rachel is right?"_ Max contemplated. _"What if it'll suck so much for me? My body could be a mess after this… Maybe the world—the universe—too!"_

"You know, Max, you don't have to show me if you don't want to…" Rachel broke the silence. She walked toward Max, holding her shoulders comfortingly. "I don't want to pressure you for using your powers… I don't want you to get hurt. I still believe you. I really do."

Max felt her heart skip a beat. She smiled at Rachel, thankful that she empathized with her.

"Thanks, Rachel," Max said. "If you and I were meant to have these powers… if I still have mine… there's gotta be a purpose, you know?"

Max stepped back, parted from their embrace, and paced back and forth thinking.

"If I still have my powers even after saving Chloe… and if I still have my powers after five years of getting them," Max continued, rubbing her cheek quizzically. "Well, then maybe I'm meant to have them, and I can't just hide them. I just can't hold it back anymore!"

"Okay, Elsa," Rachel joked. "You gonna sing 'Let It Go' now?"

They laughed.

"I need to perfect my powers if they are meant for the greater good," Max said. She held Rachel by her upper arms. "And your powers too, Rachel. They're special… I just need to stop mine once it starts to fuck with the universe."

Max was surprised by how excited she was for using her powers again for even a few seconds. Max knew the consequences of what using her powers had done in the past…

" _The world showed strange weather changes because Chloe lived when she was meant to die, not because of my powers… I just made it worse by keeping Chloe alive…"_ Max thought. _"How bad can the world or the universe be affected if I used my powers again without dealing with someone else's life? Would there even be any weather changes this time?"_

They turned toward the beer bottles on the countertop again. It was decided. Max was determined to use her powers again.

"Let's do this," Max smiled.

"Just don't fuck up the universe." Rachel half-joked and was half-serious.

"That's what we have you here for," Max replied. "You can make sure the weather doesn't act strangely."

"I think you just want to abuse my power, Caulfield," Rachel said smugly. "Alright, Max! Good luck!"

Rachel lifted a beer bottle and chucked it at a nearby rusted car. The beer bottle shattered on the door of the car. Rachel turned to Max. Max looked at the ground where the broken pieces of the beer bottle lay. Max lifted her right hand in front of her and concentrated.

Max felt the pulling sensation throughout her body. She watched the broken pieces of the bottle slowly quiver and lift from the ground just a few inches. But suddenly, they fell back to the ground.

Max felt a throbbing pain in her head.

"Ugh!" Max winced, holding her head. "Damn it! …So close!"

"Don't force yourself too much, Max," Rachel encouraged. "Let's get it!"

Max collected herself, breathing slowly. She held her right hand in front of her again and looked at the bottle pieces on the ground. She concentrated harder.

" _Come on!"_ Max thought.

Max watched the pieces levitate from the ground again, this time higher and toward the surface of the rusted car where it made the impact. She saw the beer bottle reform and come together again, slowly but surely.

The pulling sensation that Max felt intensified, and she grunted from the pain in her head. The pain radiated to her neck and torso.

" _Almost there!"_ Max thought.

Then Max watched as the beer bottle, now no longer broken, zoomed from the rusted car and back to Rachel's hand.

" _Hella yes!"_ Max thought.

Max felt the pulling sensation lifted from her, and her head pounded in pain. She fell to her knees and Rachel knelt down beside her.

"Whoa! Max!" Rachel exclaimed. She dropped the beer bottle onto the ground and placed a hand on Max's back.

Max felt several trickles of blood drip from her nose. It fell onto the ground in front of her. She wiped her nostrils with her sleeve. She laughed.

"It… it worked!" Max cried. "It fucking worked!"

Rachel chuckled and placed her fingers under Max's chin.

"I believe you, Max!" Rachel exclaimed. "But please tell me you're okay!"

"I'm fucking fantastic!" Max yelped enthusiastically. She felt electricity trickle throughout her body. She felt the thrill and euphoria from successfully rewinding time. "My powers are fucking back! Well… I guess I never lost them!"

Rachel picked up the beer bottle that she dropped from the ground. She tossed it up in the air and caught it several times.

"Then let's keep practicing!" Rachel winked at Max.

Max's afternoon consisted of Max practicing rewinding time over and over again. As Rachel broke the same beer bottle—whether it was chucking it at the car, on the ground, or another rusted house appliance in the junkyard, Max was successful at rewinding time and repairing it.

Max allowed Rachel to break the five beer bottles consecutively, as well as break more than one at a time, and Max was able to repair all five. She experienced less and less nose bleeds, her head throbbed less, and the bottles reformed faster and with less effort.

Max must have been practicing for two hours… but no actual time had elapsed. It was still 3:30 in the afternoon on that Saturday, October 6, 2018. Rachel believed Max every time she said she was improving. Max felt confident that her time-rewinding powers were polished enough for something as simple as rewinding a couple beer bottles from breaking for a few seconds.

Max stretched her arms and legs, breathing deeply. She was feeling exhausted, but still determined. She felt a strange sensation through her body, like huge weight was lifted from her shoulders… like she had been pushing something good away from her, and it was finally released and dispersed into her entire body. A wave of energy radiated through her body and it made her feel a sense of closure and resolve.

" _My body feels different… It sounds stupid and existential. But it feels like my soul… my spirit… was lost and it's back? Did I even lose it?"_ Max pondered, closing her eyes for a moment, and looked all around her. A look of confusion was on her face. _"Are my powers doing this? Is it because of Rachel? Chloe?"_

"Hey… How are you feeling now, Max? You okay?" Rachel asked concerned. "You haven't been going at this for years yet, have you?"

"I'm holding up," Max chuckled. She shook her head from her previous thought. "It's only been about two hours… but I think I got the hang of this simple task, at least. I can rewind time with less effort now!"

"That's great!" Rachel exclaimed. "You bored yet?"

"A bit…" Max sighed tiredly. "Why, what's up?"

"You up for a better challenge?" Rachel asked.

"I think so…" Max sighed proudly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Maybe I can hide these beer bottles, and you can find them," Rachel suggested eagerly. "You'll follow me as I place these bottles all around the junkyard. You'll take note of where the bottles are. Then you stay here, rewind time, and close your eyes while I'll hide them again. When I come back, you open your eyes, and find the bottles in the junkyard on your own! This doesn't just test your powers… it tests your memory too!"

"So, it's kind of like hide-and-seek," Max raised one eyebrow, smirking. "That's actually quite the challenge!"

"Yes! And this time, I can actually get a sense of how your powers work! I can be sure that you actually have them," Rachel chuckled. "I mean, I believe you. But I'd like to see the magic happen!"

"The magic?" Max laughed. "Alright! This will be interesting!"

Max remembered the time five years ago when Chloe made her look for five bottles of beer around the junkyard for Chloe to shoot. This moment felt exactly like it, except Max would know where to look this time.

" _Okay, let's do this,"_ Chloe had said. _"Can you find five bottles while I prep the shooting range?"_

" _Beer and guns? Nice combo,"_ Max muttered.

" _You can handle it,"_ Chloe begged, her hands folded together around a beer bottle eagerly. " _Now go find us five bottles? Pretty please?"_

" _I have to find dirty-ass bottles while you chill?"_ Max whined. _"Not fair."_

" _I have to prep the range, crybaby,"_ Chloe responded. _"And I've been tripping hard about where you got this rewind power..."_

" _From God,"_ Max joked awkwardly _. "Or the gods. So, bow."_

" _We can make the world bow…"_ Chloe said enthusiastically. _"Are you ready for that?"_

With Max following Rachel behind, they walked around the junkyard with the beer bottles in their hands. Rachel placed a bottle in five different locations in the junkyard, and Max took note of each location.

Rachel placed the first bottle on the table of the hideout, and a second one in a rusty, broken microwave a few yards from the hideout.

Rachel then hopped inside an old, small school bus and placed a third beer bottle on the third seat on the left side of the bus. She then balanced the fourth beer bottle in the hand of a mannequin close by Chloe's truck.

The fifth and final beer bottle was then placed under a pile of broken Christmas lights laying in the middle of the junkyard.

"Alright, Caulfield," Rachel dusted her hands together proudly. "Think you can remember where the bottles are?"

" _Hideout, microwave, school bus, mannequin, Christmas lights…"_ Max repeated the locations over and over in her head, reminding herself. _"Hideout, microwave, school bus, mannequin, Christmas lights…"_

"You bet!" Max exclaimed. They walked back to the countertop where they had stood previously. "Let me rewind time now…"

Max lifted her right hand in front of her. She rewound time, no longer feeling the pain in her head or the pulling sensation as strongly. She watched as Rachel's outline swiftly walked backwards to and from the locations with the beer bottles as time was rewinding.

It almost appeared as if Rachel was walking backwards and picking up all the beer bottles. It amused Max. Rachel eventually returned with the bottles of beer, and they were placed back on the countertop. Max stopped rewinding time.

"Okay!" Max said. "Go hide the bottles!"

Max closed her eyes and smiled. Rachel skipped up to Max and planted a kiss on Max's lips.

"Sucker kiss!" Rachel exclaimed, tickling Max's stomach, and holding her close.

"Hey!" Max laughed. She kissed Rachel back. "Thanks for helping me out with all this, Rachel… This is pretty fucking exciting."

"If we're going to be superheroes, we need to master our powers," Rachel smiled. "I'll be back."

Rachel picked up the five beer bottles set on the countertop. Max closed her eyes once more. She felt a cool breeze and enjoyed the silence of nature. She heard birds chirping in the trees of the forest around them, the faint noises of Rachel running around the junkyard, and Rachel humming as she hid the bottles.

"Okay, Caulfield!" Rachel ran back to Max. "I hid them. You took note of where I placed the bottles, right? Lead us!"

"Yeah, I think I remember," Max said, opening her eyes. "Let's go!"

Rachel held Max's hand, interlacing her fingers with hers. Max felt her heart beating fast from the thrill of using her powers… and from being close to Rachel. Max led them to the same exact places where Rachel had hid the beer bottles.

When Max found the first bottle in the hideout, Rachel joked that it was luck. When Max found the second and third bottles in the microwave and school bus respectively, Rachel squealed in surprise. After finding the fourth and fifth bottles—one held by the mannequin and the other under the broken Christmas lights, Rachel cursed excitedly.

"Holy fucking shit, Max!" Rachel exclaimed. "You are a goddess! That is hella fucking impressive! How could you have known where I hid the bottles—and in the correct order?!"

"Thanks! My powers, duh!" Max chuckled sheepishly. "That was actually a fun challenge."

"I believe you, dude! I believe you!" Rachel said, bowing at Max. "Your time-rewind powers are legit! How about we take a break?"

Rachel hugged Max proudly. Max held Rachel close and they both giggled. They walked toward the hideout and stood by the doorway, continuing to chitchat.

" _This is the happiest I have ever felt in a while. Here I am with the most beautiful woman…"_ Max thought to herself as she beamed at Rachel who was telling an anecdote of what happened during her travels. _"And my powers… I've always been so afraid to use them again… But it feels nice revisiting them… like an old friend… It definitely brings me back five years ago."_

Rachel flailed her arms around and made amusing faces, gesturing as she spoke a mile a minute telling her story. Max laughed, but her mind was elsewhere.

" _That weird feeling I felt earlier… It's telling me that… that I'm meant to have—to use—my powers again… I just know it… But for what?"_ Max thought. _"I'll use them sparingly… but if I notice anything weird happening with the weather… I'm going to fucking stop…"_

The afternoon was rolling by and the sun was to set in three hours at this time of year in Arcadia Bay. The trees that surrounded Max and Rachel in the junkyard rustled gently as the wind breezed through the branches. Max and Rachel felt both isolated from the world and happily enjoying each other's company at the same time.

But little did Max and Rachel know, two familiar faces were now in the vicinity of the junkyard… two people familiar only to Rachel, that is…

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

It has been awesome writing this fan fiction story! I did not expect such positive feedback and encouraging messages! Also, I received several messages from y'all asking for permission to share the link to this fan fiction on their Twitter and Tumblr accounts. That is absolutely fine!

Please feel free to share this story on social media and with your friends who are also Life is Strange fans! I also submit this same story on Archive of Our Own. If you are a member of that website, please give this story some Kudos/Comments too! (Is shameless plugging allowed? Haha!) As a fairly new fan fiction writer, thank you so much to everyone who continues to read! :)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes:**

Hey y'all! I apologize for the almost-four-month-long wait! As mentioned in the previous chapter, I have been swamped and insanely busy with nursing school! Again, expect the updates to be spaced out and less frequent. I am very sorry! I have not forgotten about this story, I promise! Thank you for continuing to read!

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Two men in their thirties were walking along the outskirts of the junkyard from the train tracks. They were both sharing a joint and a flask of hard liquor when one of them heard the sounds of two women laughing in the distance.

"Yo, shhh!" said the tall man with the mustache and several tattoos on his arms and neck. He shoved his friend to be quiet. "You hear that, Peter?"

The two men scanned the junkyard, ducking and peering through a pile of rusted pipes. They noticed Max and Rachel standing close to the hideout in the junkyard. They watched as the young women were talking and laughing, unaware of the two men watching them.

"Just some chicks, Sheldon," The other man with the hoodie and baseball cap said. "Who gives a shit? Let's go—"

"—Nah, man," Sheldon retorted. He squinted his eyes, staring at Rachel. He pointed at her.

"Doesn't that girl look familiar to you?" Sheldon continued, speaking softly so Max and Rachel could not hear them. He tilted his head and rubbed his chin, thinking. "Not the short-haired one, but the one with the blue feathered earring."

The two men stood in silence until it clicked in their minds.

"Holy shit!" Peter hissed. "Isn't that the bitch who threw a beer bottle at your face like a decade—"

Sheldon punched Peter on his shoulder hard. Peter grunted and stifled his laughter. They both continued to crouch down.

"Don't fucking remind me," Sheldon growled, his eyebrows furrowed. He took a puff from the joint in his fingers. "It's the district attorney's fucking daughter… Rachel Amber."

"That bitch got you good!" Peter joked, smiling a goofy smile, rubbing his shoulder and taking a quick sip from his flask. "That shit still cracks me up!"

Sheldon stared at Rachel once more, studying her face, her body, and specifically her blue feathered earring. He nodded his head.

"Yeah… That's her alright," Sheldon said. "But didn't she die five years ago?"

"Hell if I fucking remember," Peter scoffed.

"I saw her missing person flyer everywhere," Sheldon said quietly. "And in the news, they said they found a body."

"If the crime ain't got nothing to do with us," Peter took another swig of hard liquor. "I don't give a shit."

"Yet… She's alive…" Sheldon whispered, still rubbing his chin. He took another puff from his joint. "That's interesting…"

"We must be so cross-faded, bro…" Peter chuckled. "We're seeing ghosts, man."

"I ain't high," Sheldon said, not taking his squinted eyes off of Rachel. "And I ain't drunk neither."

"Who's the other girl?" Peter asked, burping.

"I think that's that photographer prodigy people in town talk about sometimes," Sheldon answered. "Maxine Caulfield or some shit. She went to Blackwell Academy too. She visits town once a year."

They crouched in silence as they continued to spy on Max and Rachel. The two young women were still conversing and laughing together. Sheldon concentrated on Rachel's blue feathered earring.

"—Sheldon, I just thought of a great idea!" Peter exclaimed excitedly, almost stumbling and mumbling his words. "You think we can take her to James Amber? M-maybe he can clear our backgrounds for finding out that his daughter actually alive or some shit, you know? That fucking D.A.'s got files on us and with crimes we didn't even fucking do! We can get our records wiped clean!"

"Yo, keep your fucking voice down, Peter," Sheldon hissed. He glanced around them and looked back at Max and Rachel. The two girls still did not notice them. "So… you saying we make a trade with him?"

"Fuck yeah!" Peter replied, giggling. "Ain't that shit genius? Let's go!"

Peter began to stand up and walk toward the two women, but Sheldon grabbed him by his collar and pulled him back to the ground.

"Hold the fuck up, idiot! They'll see us!" Sheldon shook his head. He looked at the ground, concentrating on his thoughts. "The problem with your dumbass idea is that James will think we've been keeping his daughter all along… He wouldn't believe that we just randomly found Rachel Amber. I have another plan… maybe a better one…"

"Yeah? What is it?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow at Sheldon and rubbing his neck.

"Wasn't Frank banging this Rachel bitch?" Sheldon asked, nodding his head up to Rachel and Max. "A couple of years ago? They dated. I've seen him bring her at the mill from time to time."

"Bowers?" Peter responded. "Shit… now that you mention it, I think they were totally hooking up!"

Sheldon chuckled, staring at Max and Rachel. The two men continued to quietly watch them and listening into their conversation.

"You wanna spend the night here?!" Max exclaimed to Rachel, still unaware of Sheldon and Peter hiding and watching them from the distance. "No way! What if someone finds you? Every single person in this town thinks you're dead, remember? They'll freak!"

"If that happens, you'll know what to do. Duh," Rachel laughed. "I've been playing the longest game of hide-and-seek from every single person in Arcadia Bay! No one will find me!"

"Yeah, only because I'm keeping you a secret!" Max exclaimed.

Max and Rachel laughed.

"It's still a no," Max said, playfully shoving Rachel's shoulder, smiling nervously at her.

"Fine…" Rachel said. She sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "Just thought it would be fun…"

"We stay at Chloe's for now," Max replied.

Sheldon, wide-eyed, looked up at Peter.

"You hear that? They said no one knows Rachel's back…" Sheldon said. "Seems like the other girl is making sure no one else finds out… I'm sure this will blow Frank's mind! We know something he doesn't..."

"So?" Peter asked.

Sheldon chuckled, shaking his head, shocked and excited with his new plan.

"I say we kidnap these bitches soon," Sheldon said, smirking. "And then we make it look like Frank kept Rachel alive in his boat the whole damn time… before he 'killing' her that is. We gotta make it seem like he did all this."

"Shit, this is good!" Peter giggled.

"We gotta take them to the boat when Frank's not there… and murder them," Sheldon continued, smoking his joint. "James will murder Frank's ass when we report it…"

The two men chuckled devilishly.

"We'll plan it out for a day or so, and then we'll do it. We gotta get them in his boat before he comes back. We take care of them, leave, and wait nearby until he shows up... then we take him." Sheldon said seriously now. "We can't fuck this up. It's gotta be done right."

"You know where they're staying?" Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "The other one said that they're staying at 'Chloe's'? Is she talking about Price?"

Sheldon glanced around. He saw Chloe's rusty pick-up truck parked across the junkyard. He nodded with a sly smile.

"I know that piece of shit truck. It's definitely Price's. They're definitely staying there…" Sheldon paused before adding his next thought. "We gotta make it look like Frank killed the other girl too… It'll look like this: Max visits Frank's boat since she's in town and they're buddies. Then, she discovers that Rachel was held captive—and dead—in Frank's boat all this time. It'll look like Frank walked in and panicked that he's been caught, so he shoots Max. But we'll be chilling at the docks close by saying we 'heard gunshots.' Then we apprehend Frank. And then we take him to James with our story."

"Holy shit, Sheldon. You're fucked up," Peter giggled, and then paused as if forgetting where he was. "Why are we doing this?"

Sheldon let out a guttural laugh.

"…I think it's time we get back at Frank," Sheldon growled. "We get back at him… for killing Damon Merrick."

Sheldon smirks and Peter lets out a goofy laugh. The two men stand up, and walk toward the train tracks. They head home to plan out their scheme, leaving Max and Rachel talking and laughing in the junkyard.

 **§§§**

"I think we should call it a day, Caulfield," Rachel said yawning. She looks at the sky above them. The sun was slowly making its way toward sunset time.

"Yeah," Max sighs.

Max and Rachel head inside the hideout.

"I brought some trash bags for our mess," Max said, grabbing a roll from the tote bag on the table. "And while we're here, why don't we tidy up the hideout a bit?"

Rachel scoffed and joked, "You know, Max, this is a junkyard. We can just chuck garbage outside this hideout and it wouldn't make a difference."

Max gave Rachel a judging look before shaking her head and chuckling.

"Considering how you can control nature, I would have assumed you cared for preserving it too," Max retorted, smiling.

"I was joking, Max!" Rachel smiled back and rolled her eyes. "And of course, let's clean up!"

They both enjoyed each other's company, silently collecting any used bottles, trash, and old cardboard food containers, placing them inside the trash bags for several minutes quietly.

"You know, Max. I still think it'd be fun to spend the night here," Rachel finally broke the silence. "Chloe and I used to do it a lot."

"Yeah… it sure would be fun," Max was busy collecting old beer cans and boxes of pizza from the shelves and the floor, her back toward Rachel. She turns to Rachel. "But other kids still hang out here from time to time. I don't want to risk people finding out about you. Would you?"

"No. You're right. I wouldn't either. I don't want that kind of attention," Rachel picked up a beer bottle and tossed it up in the air. She caught it. Then she held the bottle from the lip and swung it up, trying to flip the bottle, aiming for it to cleanly land upright on the table. Instead, the bottle slammed against one of the wooden boards of the roof of the hideout and then fell onto the ground, shattering.

This startled Max. She quickly turned around looking at the broken beer bottle on the ground and back up at Rachel, a confused look on her face.

"Shit!" Rachel gasped, chucking and smiling guiltily at Max.

"You know Rachel, it was fun practicing my time-rewind powers, but I'm tired of using them again for today," Max joked. She chuckled. "So, I'm not fixing that."

They laughed.

"What were you trying to do anyway?" Max shook her head.

"Well, I was trying to 'bottle flip,'" Rachel answered sheepishly, carefully picking up the large pieces of glass and tossing them inside the trash bag.

"Bottle flip?" Max scoffed, smiling. "What are you, a 12-year-old? Besides, you have use a plastic bottle that is filled one-third with liquid."

"You seemed to know a lot about bottle flipping, you 12-year-old," Rachel joked.

They laughed again.

Rachel looked up at the ceiling—or the spaced-out planks of wood that sufficed for a ceiling—where the beer bottle smacked. She noticed that the wooden board the bottle slammed against had shifted a little. She furrowed her eyebrows. "You know, David does a great job preserving the hideout, but he didn't think about fixing the roof?"

"Huh. I guess the roof could use some adjusting," Max looked up. "The boards are rotting, misaligned, and could fall on anyone. Maybe we can fix it up tomorrow or some other day."

Rachel pulls the table by the benches a few feet so that it is under the wooden board of the "ceiling." She hops on the table. The table wobbles and Rachel flails her arms a little, catching her balance.

"Please be careful, dude!" Max says, her arms out toward Rachel, prepared to catch her if she stumbles and falls. "What are you even trying to do anyway?"

"I wanna fix the ceiling! The boards are all whack!" Rachel says cheerfully. "It's gonna bug the heck out of me!"

Max turns around and continues tidying up.

Rachel reaches her arms above her. She is barely tall enough to reach the wooden boards with her fingertips. She struggles a little bit, but lines up the wooden boards above her, pushing them side by side. She and Max hear as the boards creak with every push that Rachel gives.

Before Rachel knows it, one of the wooden boards creak loudly and snaps in half above her. Rachel sees the wooden board slide and knock down another wooden board adjacent to it, causing it to shift and fall. The board was falling toward Max.

Rachel, realizing what she had done, jumps down to the ground beside Max, pulling her away from the falling board. But she stumbles to the ground, sitting and staring up at the ceiling.

"MAX!" Rachel screamed.

Max turned around just in time to see what was happening. Rachel grabs Max's hand in one last attempt to move Max out of the way.

" _Shit! No!"_ Max thought. _"Rachel!"_

Max stands in front of Rachel, extending her arm out.

Rachel held onto Max's hips as several wooden boards fall toward them, like a domino effect, one board sliding and knocking down another and another. She braces herself for the impact.

Max felt the pulling sensation in her body as she slowed down time, just like she had slowed down time with the beer bottle earlier that day. Max, wide-eyed, stared at the wooden boards from the ceiling, her heart racing expecting them to fall on top of the two of them. Only the boards weren't falling slowly.

They had stopped falling completely.

"Holy shit!" Rachel screams, kneeling on the ground while holding onto Max's hips from behind. "What the fuck?!"

Max's heart stops. Max glanced at Rachel and then looked back at the wooden boards in mid-air. It was not moving, floating and suspended. She glanced back at Rachel who had her hand over her mouth.

"You can see this?!" Max screams, bewildered. Her hand was still extended in front of her. Her body was feeling the pull even stronger now. She cannot hold the wooden boards up in the air much longer.

"How the fuck are you doing this?!" Rachel yells just as surprised.

"Wait. You can see th-that time has stopped?!" Max's voice cracks as she raises it.

"Of course I can, dude!" Rachel croaks. "What did you do?! What are you doing?!"

" _HOLY AMAZEBALLS!"_ Max thought to herself. _"Rachel can see time stopping! She is witnessing my powers!"_

"I'm not doing anything!" Max cries nervously. She feels her head pounding in pain, straining to keep the wooden boards afloat. "H-How the fuck are _you_ seeing all this?!"

"I don't know! Don't ask me!" Rachel continues to scream. "This is all fucking new to me!"

"But no one else can see time stop or rewind except for me!" Max yelps.

"I know!" Rachel looks up at Max, pounding her fists in the air.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Max says, still bewildered.

"AHHH!" Rachel screams.

"AHHH!" Max screams too.

"Can you PLEASE rewind time now?!" Rachel cries. "You might let those boards fall on us!"

Max's arm was starting to grow numb and her body was feeling the weight pull her down even more. She grunts, exerting all her energy. With her hand held above and in front of her, the wooden boards move back into their original position, just as they were before Rachel shifted the boards.

Max falls to the ground, panting. She sits, staring at the wooden boards of the ceiling above her and then shoots a look of terror and excitement behind her at Rachel. She catches her breath as Rachel chuckles.

"WOO!" Rachel shouts enthusiastically. "That was fucking awesome!"

"You… you could have gotten us smushed!" Max whined, breathing heavily and quickly. Her body was no longer in pain or, and the numbness in her arm was vanishing, but her head was still pounding.

"Why was I unaffected by your time rewinding powers?" Rachel asks, shaking her head. "Can't be the old weed, can it?"

They both remained silent with nervousness which then turned into fits of laughter and relief.

"Fucking wowser… I don't know how I did that," Max finally says, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Or if _you_ did that, Rachel."

"I'm not doing shit, Max. I wasn't doing anything at all," Rachel answers. She stands up and walks in front of Max. She holds a hand toward Max to help her stand up, which Max grabs.

"I need a drink," Max sighs, shaking her head.

She walks toward the benches and plops herself down. She places her head in her hands and groans. Her head is still throbbing with pain.

"This is new to me," Max says, looking at her hands. "No other person can actually see my time-rewind powers work… No other person can actually witness the time-stopping or objects and people in reverse."

"As cool as it was to witness," Rachel says placing a hand on Max's shoulder. She sits down next to Max. "It had me on edge. I was amazed and scared at the same time."

"Says the girl who can control fire, wind, and nature!" Max chuckles nervously. "You are the first person to actually witness my powers work before their eyes… Can it be that you were touching me while I reversed time?"

"Maybe…" Rachel mutters. "Try it again."

Rachel kicks an old beer can across the hideout space. She holds Max's left hand, interlacing her fingers in hers. Max holds her right hand in front of her, focusing on the beer can, trying to rewind time, but a sharp pain radiates from her head and body.

"AGH!" Max winces in pain. She tries to focus again. "I-I can't! I'm too weak right now."

"It's okay, Max," Rachel says. "Don't strain yourself. Sorry I asked…"

They sit in silence.

"You okay, Max?" Rachel finally says, holding Max's hand to her chest. "Uh… or… we don't have to talk about it. That was pretty scary."

"I'm fine, thanks," Max says, giving Rachel a small smile. "It's just… strange. I wonder what it could mean…"

"I think it just means that your powers are getting stronger, Max," Rachel says, feeling like that answer was right and only answer. "Or maybe our bond, combined with our powers, has something to do with it."

"Yeah…" Max says while looking at the ground. She rubs the temple of her head where it is throbbing. Her body felt sore. "But we gotta try it again next time."

" _Does this mean other people can witness my time-rewind powers?"_ Max thought. _"Or is Rachel the only one who can see it happening?"_

"Let's continue cleaning," Rachel says. She stands up, grabs her trash bag from the floor, and continues to collect scraps and litter.

" _I stopped time again—completely stopped it! Just like when I stopped time with Kate… before she was about to jump from the roof of the dorms…"_ Max thought to herself. _"I stopped time to save Kate… and I stopped time to save Rachel this time… But… Will this fuck up the universe?"_

Max thought these things out worriedly, but a feeling in her body—the same feeling that told her that she and Rachel were meant to _have_ and _use_ their powers—told her that she herself, Rachel, and the universe were perfectly fine at the moment... and that everything was going to be okay…

 _To be continued…_


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Will you be okay visiting Chloe tomorrow?" Max asked. Her back was turned toward Rachel as she slipped on her pajamas.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Rachel replied solemnly. She was also putting on pajamas, Chloe's to be exact. "I'm looking forward to it."

" _Tomorrow will be the fifth year anniversary of Chloe's death,"_ Max thought. _"See you tomorrow, Chloe._

Max and Rachel were getting ready to go to bed. Max had to sneak Rachel into Chloe's room from her window just in case Joyce and David were home. She chuckled to herself remembering how she awkwardly helped lift Rachel up to the roof of the garage. Luckily, Joyce was working overtime at the diner and David was already asleep in bed.

" _All that lifting for nothing,"_ Max had said.

" _You are surprisingly strong, Caulfield,"_ Rachel had replied, slyly.

Chloe's alarm clock radio played music softly, loud enough to listen to, but the volume low enough not to wake David who was sleeping in the other room.

 _"How many times have I told you to stop blasting that punk shit?!"_ Max remembered David screaming from outside Chloe's door five years ago in the alternate timeline.

 _"Dude, the music's not even on!"_ Max rememberedChloe screaming back. And she muttered under her breath, _"Fucking asshole."_

Max smiled to herself, thinking how strange David has changed from the upright jerk-of-a-step-dad back then to a much nicer and caring person now.

Max stretched before sitting herself in bed, throwing the bed covers over her legs. Rachel hopped in as well and sat next to Max, fluffing her pillow. They both settled in bed, lying next to each other closely. Max can feel the warmth of Rachel's body radiating. Her stomach was making flips and her heart was gradually beating faster from nervousness.

" _Why are you nervous, Max?"_ Max thought. _"You shared this bed with her last night! How is this time different?"_

"Good night, Max," Rachel said, staring at the ceiling.

"Good night, Rachel," Max replied, also staring at the ceiling.

They both remained silent and still, listening to the music fill the empty spaces in Chloe's room. After the end of a song, there was silence, the soft voice of the radio DJ, and they could hear the crickets outside and the occasional owl hooting or car driving by.

Max was thinking a lot about what happened earlier today at the hideout… about how Rachel was able to witness the effects of her powers, of how she saw that time had stopped, of how this was something that has not happened before—not even with Chloe.

" _Are my powers now strong enough to allow others to see my time manipulation?"_ Max wondered. _"What's different? What did I do differently? Was it really because Rachel touched me while I rewound time?"_

"Can't sleep, Max?" Rachel breaks the silence. She turned on her side, facing Max.

"I just don't get it… How did we do that today?" Max says softly, furrowing her eyebrows, pondering. She turns to her side facing Rachel. "How did I stop time for the both of us? …How were you able to see all that?"

"It's bugging me too," Rachel says, resting her head on her hand, propping herself with her elbow. "I didn't do anything…"

"We need to practice this new _feature_ of my powers," Max curled the forefingers and middle fingers of her hands in air quotes when she said "feature."

"All I did was hold onto you when you used your powers," Rachel said, imitating Max by holding her hand out in front of her, almost touching Max. She smiled as Max flinched. "And then time stopped."

"Maybe… maybe it affected you because you came in contact with me," Max said, dodging Rachel's hand. "Because you touched me when I used my powers."

"It can't be that simple, can it?" Rachel says, sliding herself closer to Max. "Did anyone else touch you five years ago while you were using your time-rewind powers? Chloe maybe?"

Max closed her eyes, trying to remember.

"Not that I can recall. Even if someone came in physical contact with me, it's not like it affected them anyway—I would have remembered if they witnessed the effect of my powers," Max replies, shaking her head. "This time is different."

"Maybe your powers are getting stronger, Max," Rachel said, grasping Max's hand, looking at her palm. "Maybe you're able to allow those who touch you to witness your time manipulation. Maybe it's just that simple."

Max felt her heart race faster as what Rachel had just said ran through her mind. She was also growing more hot from Rachel holding her hand.

"Maybe you're right," Max says, watching Rachel caress the palm of her hand, wondering if Rachel can feel it tremble. "Regardless of how, I just want to perfect it…"

"Why?" Rachel tilted her head. Her ears perked up with interest. She let go of Max's hand.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if you can see time stopping every time?" Max said. "To experience the time rewinding together? Think of what we can be capable of doing with our powers combined."

"Okay, that didn't sound villainous or anything," Rachel joked and chuckled. "It's still pretty freaky for me… I sense chaos."

"Maybe…" Max sighs. She rubs her chin pensively. "Or something to battle the chaos…"

"How about we use your powers in other ways?" Rachel winks at Max.

Rachel traced her fingertips over Max's shoulder and neck, jokingly.

"Um… what?" Max stammers nervously, pulling the covers over her shoulders.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Caulfield," Rachel chuckles, winking. "Look, it's already thirty minutes until midnight. I'm hella exhausted. I feel like sleeping for 20 hours non-stop—just a marathon of sleep. Maybe you can try to stop time… so we can sleep longer?"

" _Oh, just for more sleep,"_ Max thinks. Her tense body relaxes. She stretches her legs realizing just how tired and sore her body felt, especially having practiced her powers and feeling so much weight on her body all day. _"We sure spent all day at the hideout, didn't we? And even spent more time tidying up the hideout… I could use some extra sleep... without Joyce wondering why I haven't gotten up for bed early tomorrow."_

"That would be lovely, but… unfortunately, I need to be awake to have my powers work," Max responds. "If I stop time and fall asleep, it's not going to give us more rest. Time will just proceed."

Max recalled trying to use her powers while in Mark Jefferson's Dark Room five years ago. Her powers were ineffective while she was sedated and falling in and out of sleep.

"Well, it was worth a try," Rachel sighs, gently rubbing her eyes. "Would love more time to sleep."

They lied in silence again, looking at each other. Then an idea popped in Max's head.

"Rachel," Max says softly. "Hold my hand."

"Uh, okay," Rachel raised an eyebrow.

Rachel slipped her fingers between Max's, interlacing them together. Rachel gripped Max's hand tenderly.

"I'm going to try stopping time again," Max says nervously. "With you holding my hand. Let's see if it'll work again."

"Have you regained your energy enough to do that?" Rachel asks cautiously. "I can't imagine how exhausted you might be feeling right now."

"I'll be fine," Max replied.

Max picked up the pillow she was resting her head on. She tossed it up in the air above her and held her right arm out, concentrating on the pillow to stop in mid-air.

Rachel flinched and turned her head to the side. Max flinched too. Rachel's grip holding Max's hand tightened.

But the pillow stopped, hovering over the bed, and over their heads. It was floating in mid-air as time stopped.

Max looked at Rachel, expecting to see her face still and motionless, expecting that Rachel was frozen in time as was the world around her. But it was not. Max saw Rachel slowly open her eyes from flinching, turning her head to look up. Rachel stared at the pillow floating above them with her eyebrows raised.

"Whoa… Hella yeah!" Rachel exclaimed softly. "You did it again, Caulfield!"

Max looked at Rachel and smiled, losing concentration, and the pillow fell on top of Max's head. Rachel stifled her laughter.

"Well, that worked… momentarily," Rachel chuckled.

"Are you sure you're not doing anything?" Max asks Rachel as she lifted the pillow from her face, gently throwing it at Rachel, who caught it and chuckled.

"I'm sure! This isn't happening because of me. Maybe it's all happening because of you! Watch," Rachel answered enthusiastically, tossing the pillow back at Max who flinched and caught it. "Do it again, but don't hold my hand this time."

Max let go of Rachel's hand. She tossed the pillow up in the air, raised her right hand in front of her concentrating for time to stop, and the pillow stopped it mid-air once again.

Max looked at Rachel. Rachel was still, looking up, and her face was blank and expressionless.

"Okay, Rachel. We get it. You're an amazing actress and all, but you can stop now," Max rolls her eyes and laughs, thinking that Rachel was pretending to be still. "You can move and breathe."

But Rachel did not respond. She was frozen in time. Max frowned.

Then Rachel snorted.

"What the—?" Max muttered, losing concentration, and the pillow in mid-air fell onto her face again.

Rachel stifled her laughter again, covering one hand over her mouth, trying not to wake David across the hall. Max shoved Rachel gently, and Rachel reached over tickling Max's abdomen. The two of them giggled, trying to out-tickle the other.

Rachel straddled Max's waist on top of her, pinning Max's arms down. She leaned close to Max's face with a smirk. They both stared at each other silently, breathing heavily from laughing moments ago. Rachel was about to plant a kiss onto Max's lips, when a sound interrupted them.

Max and Rachel heard sound of the front door open and keys jingling from downstairs. It was Joyce coming back home from working overnight at the Two Whales Diner.

Max was glad she could hear the front door open, even with the music still playing from the radio. She was horrified at the thought of Joyce walking into Chloe's bedroom to see Rachel there with her—alive!

Rachel sat up and so did Max. Rachel was still straddling Max, so Max felt flustered when Rachel's breasts were at her eye level.

"Max? David?" Joyce called out. The sounds of her footsteps walking up the stairs were heard. Max anticipated that Joyce was going to open Chloe's bedroom door any second now.

"Quick! Hide in the closet, Rachel!" Max whispered.

Rachel bolted off of Max's lap and out of bed. She gently opened Chloe's closet, stepped in, and closed it shut.

"Dude, this is just like whenever I spend the night at this house with Chloe," Rachel whispered. "And I had to hide in here so David wouldn't know!"

"Shhh!" Max hissed. "She's coming!"

Max can hear the muffled giggles of Rachel. Max sat up in bed, grabbed her phone from the floor beside her, and pretended to browse through it. A millisecond later, Joyce had knocked on the bedroom door and opened it.

"Max? Oh, Max," Joyce said at the doorway. "So good to see you! I haven't seen you all day."

"Hey Joyce!" Max said, trying to mask her nervousness. She placed her phone on the bed. "How was working late?"

"Not too bad. Got some good tips," Joyce sighed. "You know how it is on a Saturday evening."

Max smiled. Joyce frowned.

"You going to visit Chloe tomorrow?" Joyce asked solemnly. "I'll be visiting during my lunch break."

Max stopped smiling. She bit her lip and felt her throat constrict.

"Yeah, I'll be there in the morning," Max replied. "I'm picking up flowers on the way."

"Good," Joyce said softly, giving Max a small smile. "Well, you have a good night, Max. Don't stay up too late. You have an exam and presentation about 'rack focus' and the 'Dutch angle' tomorrow morning."

Joyce winked, and Max laughed at Joyce's joke.

"I'm impressed you know those cinematic technical terms," Max chuckled. "Good night, Joyce."

"The articles you're featured in aren't the only ones David and I read in all those cinematography and photography magazines, you know," Joyce says. She held her hand over her face, closed one eye, and pretended to take a snap shot of Max with her pretend camera.

As Joyce closed the door gently, Max snickered. Max heard Joyce walk across the hallway and open and close the door to her bedroom. She waited a moment until she whispered at Rachel.

"I think it's safe to come out, Rachel," Max said.

The closet door opened, and Rachel tip-toed out. She hopped into bed and sat close to Max.

"This is fucking awesome, Max!" Rachel exclaimed. "We don't need to hold each other for me to see your time rewind powers!"

"Yeah, it's fucking wild," Max sighs. She furrowed her eyebrows. "It still puzzles me, though."

"Oh shit, Max. Your nose," Rachel said. She turned around and grabbed a tissue from the tissue box on Chloe's small shelf by her bed.

Max touched her nostrils and looked at her fingertips. Even in the dim-lit room, Max could see that there were some droplets of blood.

"You feeling okay?" Rachel asks concerned. She pat Max's nose clean and Max nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. I think it's just my body's tired from using my powers all day… and again just now," Max scoffed. "Especially after a long day of practicing them."

"You know, in Japanese anime, whenever someone's nose bleeds sporadically, it usually means they're sexually aroused," Rachel says coyly as she dabs Max's nose with the tissue. "It's supposed to be a metaphor for a rise in blood pressure when sexually stimulated, causing a nosebleed. Or because blood rushes—"

"—somewhere else in the body," Max finished Rachel's sentence. She snickered and smiled. Her nose was no longer bleeding. "Yeah, Chloe told me about that."

"She told me that too," Rachel said, tossing the tissue into the trash bin by Chloe's desk. "She really was quite the nerd."

They laugh and smile at each other.

Then Rachel straddled Max again. She placed her hands on Max's shoulder. Max was not expecting it. Her heart raced and pounded in her chest. Rachel bit her lip.

"If we were in an anime," Rachel whispered softly. "Would your nose bleed?"

"Would yours?" Max responded.

Rachel leaned forward, kissing Max. Max kissed Rachel, placing her hands on Rachel's waist. Their kiss started slow and soft, and escalated in speed and passion. Max slid her hands from Rachel's waist to her back, and Rachel slid her hands from Max's shoulder and onto Max's chest.

They kissed harder, breathing heavier. Max lied down, and so did Rachel, who was on top on Max. Rachel kissed Max's neck, just below her ear. Max felt her heart fluttering and her body growing warm.

"Is this okay?" Rachel asked softly.

"Yes," Max consented. They were breathing heavily. "This is fine."

Rachel removed her own pajama shirt. She slipped her hands under Max's shirt, tracing Max's skin with her hands before also slipping Max's shirt off. Both women were not wearing bras, and Max could see Rachel's bare chest. She blushed at the sight of them for the first time... at least seeing them clearly since the shower incident the other day...

Rachel kissed Max's breasts and caressed her sides. Max caressed Rachel's bare shoulders.

Soon, it was just the sound of Max and Rachel kissing, the occasional sighs and soft moans, the ruffling of bed sheets, and the music playing softly from the radio that could be heard. Rachel gently slid her hand onto Max's inner thigh as Max gently cupped Rachel's breast with one hand.

Suddenly, Max and Rachel pull away from their kisses. They both felt a force of energy flow through their bodies. An electrical impulse shocked them and a warm breeze brushed through their skin. It gave Max goosebumps.

"Whoa!" Rachel exclaimed. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah. You felt it too?" Max said, puzzled. She and Rachel sat up and looked around the room. They both held their breath. Max reached to the other side of the bed to turn off the radio on Chloe's alarm clock that sat on the shelf by the bed. She needed to concentrate.

"I… I did," Rachel said, a little spooked.

Max glanced at the clock on Chloe's shelf by the bed. It had just turned 12:00 AM. It is now October 7th… The day Chloe died.

"Chloe?" Max muttered. She and Rachel still looked around the room. It was silent. No movement, no wind, no sounds, and no electrical impulse again.

Rachel held Max's hand, almost teary-eyed.

"That was her," Max whispered. "I… I always felt her presence in the past five years when I have visited this place… That feeling we just felt, that's the same feeling I get… That's her."

"Chloe, are you haunting us?" Rachel joked. "Real classic move, Price!"

Max and Rachel laughed.

" _BOO-YAH!"_ Max remembered Chloe surprising her by jumping out of the darkness on the evening they broke into Principal Wells's office. " _Get it? BOO-yah? Like I'm a scary punk ghost..."_

" _More like a scary punk asshole,"_ Max had joked back.

"Well, Chloe… if you're there," Rachel continued, holding back tears. "We miss you. You would not believe the past two days Max and I are having."

"You'd think that you're hella tripping balls," Max chuckled, also trying not to let her eyes water. "I mean, look at us!"

Max realized that Rachel had been grasping her hand hard for quite some time now. She lifted Rachel's hand in hers and kissed her knuckles, trying to calm Rachel. Max felt Rachel's grip loosen.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized. "That… that energy I felt caught me off guard… but it didn't frighten me… it was a warm feeling."

"Yeah, it felt… nice," Max said. "Maybe Chloe is happy that we're happy… together."

"You don't think she's jealous?" Rachel chuckled.

"Jealous of you or of me?" Max snickered. "Because you are hella out of my league."

Rachel smiled. She leaned in toward Max for a kiss. Max kissed her back, smiling as well. They pressed their foreheads together and smiled. They held each other's hands for a moment.

Then Rachel pulled away and yawned.

"I think I'm finally getting sleepy, Max," Rachel said, stretching her arms before lying back down and pulling the covers to her shoulders. "Turn the music on again."

Max reached for the alarm clock and turned the radio back on. Music played gently.

"Boy, we sure got carried away," Rachel continued. She lied down and sighed, putting her shirt back on.

"I'm sorry," Max apologized, putting her shirt on as well. She also lied down and brought the covers up to their shoulders. "Maybe it isn't the right time right now."

"I'm ready, though," Rachel said softly, a look of seriousness at Max. "To get 'carried away,' I mean. Well, if you're ready, then I am."

"I am," Max said. "I'm ready for that."

Max held Rachel's hand. Rachel slid herself close to Max. They smiled and kissed gently in agreement. Max felt her racing heart slow down. She could not believe that she and Rachel were just moments from having intercourse.

"Mmm," Rachel yawned again. "Chloe and I used to fall asleep with the music on… it was relaxing."

Max smiled, lying down in bed, facing Rachel. Rachel turned her body around, allowing herself to curl into Max's chest. Max reached her arm over Rachel's body, holding her close.

The song _"Tomorrow Tomorrow" by_ Babygirl was playing on the radio, and Max could not help but tiredly think that it was a song perfect for that moment.

 _~Wearing what I wore when you saw me before, knocking on your door.  
_ _Growing up's a chore that I wanna ignore just a midnight more.  
_ _Let's shut all the blinds, lose track of time.  
_ _I need a day to escape this state of mind.  
_ _So, if you got a twenty to borrow baby,  
_ _I'll buy another bag of the floral.  
_ _We'll think about tomorrow tomorrow, baby.  
_ _I'll figure out, figure out tomorrow tomorrow.~_

They lied still together, feeling their eyelids grow heavy, allowing the radio to play their lullabies, letting their drowsiness drift them to sleep. But Max was awake enough to think one last thought: about another feature of her power.

" _Wait… if… if it's possible that Rachel can witness as I rewind time,"_ Max thought, feeling her mind drift to sleep. _"Would it be possible if she could photo jump with me too?"_

Max fell asleep, letting that one thought fade to the night.

 _To be continued…_


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes:**

TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains a scene of violence that some readers may find disturbing. The following chapter also contains a scene with sexual content. I have recently changed the rating from teen to mature. Reader discretion is advised!

Thank you for continuing to read this story, leaving kudos, and posting comments! This chapter contains another song you can listen to while you read!

Quick question: How many of you have read the Life is Strange: Dust comic book? How did you like it? Drop a message and we can chat about it! Have a great day, y'all! :)

 **Chapter Sixteen**

" _MAX! What do we do?"_ Rachel screamed.

What Max saw was a blur. She blinked hard several times, trying to clear her vision. Her surroundings were fading in and out, and her head was throbbing in excruciating pain.

" _What? Where am I?"_ Max thought. She looked around her. She was in Chloe's truck with Rachel beside her. Rachel was screaming and panting, a look of full determination and nervousness in her eyes.

" _Rachel's driving…"_ Max could feel the truck speeding, hearing the engine roar. It was shaking Max and Rachel inside with every bump on the heard faint sirens behind them and a dog bark beside her. _"What is going on? Are those… police sirens? Who's dog is…?"_

Max realized she was holding a photo in her hand, but she couldn't make out what was on the photo. Then Max felt a sharp stabbing pain on her abdomen radiating to her back. She grasped her stomach it with her other hand and doubled over. She groaned loudly.

Max lifted her hand to see her palm drenched in blood. She looked downward and over her shoulder. The car seat behind her was caked in blood, her blood. She saw her shirt trickle with blood from her back.

" _MAX!"_ Rachel screamed again, but everything she heard was muffled and distant now.

Max could feel the familiar heavy weight dropping on her body with her head throbbing when she overused her powers.

Max saw her surroundings fade completely white.

 **§§§**

Max woke up, sitting in bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air, and her body trembling. It was still dark out.

" _What the fuck?!"_ Max thought. _"Was that a dream? It felt too real. It felt too fucking real…"_

She looked down to her stomach and patted her body, looking for blood. No blood. She was still in bed, in Chloe's room, Rachel lying at her side.

Max heard the faint barking of a dog outside the window, one of the neighbor's dogs.

"Mmm…" Rachel groaned sleepily, awakened by Max's gasps. She stretched her arms and legs, sliding herself closer to Max. She opened her eyes slowly, and blinked. "Max? Are you okay?"

She sat up and placed her hand on Max's shoulder. Max slowly relaxed and sighed.

"You're shaking, Max," Rachel said worriedly. "Bad dream?"

"I… I think so," Max said, grasping her head and rubbing her eyes. "A very hella vivid dream."

Max recalled the exact moment she woke up from a vision five years ago in Mark Jefferson's classroom. She had a vision of herself in the forest of Arcadia Bay, just a short walk away from the lighthouse.

The night was stormy with rain pouring, ferocious winds blowing, and a large tornado… or giant waterspout… heading toward the town. She remembered a small boat striking the lighthouse causing it to split in half, the top half falling toward her. Then she woke up in class…

" _This feels too similar to that day,"_ Max pondered. _"I had another realistic vision… just like the tornado one…"_

"What happened?" Rachel asked, rubbing Max's back. "Wanna talk about it?"

Max looked at Rachel whose eyebrows were furrowed with concern.

"We… we were in Chloe's truck, speeding down a road. I… I think the police were behind us. You were screaming, and I was bleeding," Max croaked, rubbing her forehead. "And I was holding…" Max trailed off.

"Holding what?" Rachel said. She held Max close.

" _A photo,"_ Max thought to herself. _"But what was significant about it?"_

Then Max remembered her final thought before falling asleep: _"Would it be possible if she could photo jump with me too? I'll have to tell… or show… Rachel later."_

"Nothing," Max answered. She brushed off her dream as her conscious guilting her for keeping her photo jump abilities from Rachel. She figured that—plus the stress and worry that someone would find Rachel alive—caused her nightmare.

Rachel sighed tiredly, running her fingers through her hair, completely convinced that Max truly meant "nothing."

She glanced at the alarm clock. It was 4:13 AM. She kissed the side of Max's head and held Max in her arms, trying to comfort her. Max sunk into Rachel's embrace.

Max turned to Rachel and they kissed. They lied back down in bed. Rachel stroking Max's head.

"Sounds like an intense dream, Caulfield," Rachel yawned with her eyes closed. "Cops chasing us? That's some Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde shit."

Max, now relaxed as much as she could be, chuckled. She remembered Frank Bowers teasing her and Chloe at the junkyard while they practiced shooting beer bottles five years ago in the alternate timeline.

" _Hey, it's Thelma and Louise,"_ Frank joked. _"Or is it Bonnie and Clyde?"_

"Yeah, something like that," Max said quietly. She felt Rachel drift back to sleep next to her. Max closed her eyes and tried to relax for several moments, hoping she would not have another nightmare.

Soon, she fell back asleep.

 **§§§**

"Don't drop that shit, idiot," Sheldon growled quietly, shoving his friend's back. "If that spills, you'll be fucking us over."

"Chill out, Sheldon," Peter snapped.

Sheldon and Peter crept slowly toward Frank's boat at the dock of Arcadia Bay. It was just an hour before sunrise. They knew Frank would be waking up any minute.

Sheldon held a few cubes of raw steak in a plastic back in one hand, and some tape and rope in the other. Peter carried a bottle of chloroform and a rag. They were about to carry out one of their plans. They both wore bandanas over their noses and mouths to prevent inhaling the chloroform or to be recognized.

They quietly walked on the wooden boardwalk where many small boats and yachts were anchored.

"This is it," Sheldon said, nodding to a small white yacht. "That's his boat."

They slouched as they approached the boat, peering over the railing, scanning the deck. They saw a dog lying, asleep by the entrance to one of the cabins.

"There's his dog," Sheldon said, slowly putting a dog whistle to his lips and holding a cube of steak in his hand. "We gotta lure him out so it doesn't bark."

"What's his name again?" Peter asked.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sheldon asked, annoyed.

"The dog's name," Peter said. "Pontius? Pompeii? Pom… Pomidou—!"

Sheldon slapped Peter at the backside of his head.

"—Will you fucking shut up?!" Sheldon hissed. He shook his head. "Now get the rope and chloroform ready."

Sheldon blew the dog whistle. Pompidou stirred awake, yawned, and glanced back and forth around the boat. Sheldon continued to blow until Pompidou saw the source. He stood up and walked slowly toward Sheldon and Peter.

When Pompidou recognized Sheldon and Peter, he growled.

"Shhh," Sheldon said calmly. He held a cube of raw steak to Pompidou. "Good dog. Alright."

Pompidou sniffed the meat, glanced back and forth between Sheldon and Peter, and licked the meat before taking a bite.

Peter giggled and petted Pompidou. Sheldon shook his head.

Sheldon and Peter climbed up Frank's boat slowly, trying not to make any noise. Peter tied the rope to Pompidou's collar and tied the other end to the side rail of the deck of the boat. Sheldon tossed another piece of meat for Pompidou to eat.

Pompidou happily chewed on his treats and wagged his tail. Then Sheldon poured a few tablespoons of chloroform solution onto the rag. He took a squat behind Pompidou.

Peter frowned, feeling a little sorry for Pompidou. He held Pompidou's collar and body still. Sheldon placed the rag soaked in chloroform to Pompidou's nose and mouth. He held Pompidou's muzzle shut to prevent him from barking loudly.

Pompidou wiggled and attempted to bark, but the two men were holding him down too strongly. Soon, Pompidou inhaled too much chloroform and his body thrashed less and less. Then his body dropped to the floor. Sheldon placed a muzzle on Pompidou, and Sheldon and Peter stood up.

Sheldon walked away toward the door to the cabin. Peter, still frowning, watched as Pompidou was breathing slowly and fast asleep.

"Come on, Peter," Sheldon whispered. Sheldon took a gun out from his pocket. Peter stood up and walked to the door. Sheldon handed him the bottle of chloroform and rag.

Sheldon placed his ear against the door, hearing the faint sound of Frank snoring. They opened the door slowly and crept their way inside. They walked toward Frank's bed and stood over him.

With a look of disgust and hatred on his face, he watched as Frank slept.

"Now!" Sheldon hissed.

Peter placed the rag over Frank's mouth and nose while holding one of Frank's wrist down in bed. Sheldon held a gun to Frank's head and held Frank's other wrist down too. Frank's eyes shot wide open in shock.

Frank tried to scream, but it was muffled by the rag. He struggled to kick or knee Peter and Sheldon, but he could not reach them. Peter held the rag to Frank's nose and mouth tightly.

"Man, he is fighting it!" Peter yelled.

"Don't let go of him!" Sheldon screamed.

After several moments of Frank screaming, trying to shake the two men off of him, and trying to break his arms from their grasps, he grew dizzy and weak. His struggling stopped and he closed his eyes. He was knocked out.

Sheldon and Peter looked at Frank then at each other, panting. Peter wiped the sweat from his forehead and Sheldon placed his gun back in his pocket.

They pulled Frank from bed, sat him on a wooden chair with side arms, and tied him up with rope tightly. They moved his furniture so nothing was of reach.

Frank slowly woke up, feeling completely lightheaded. He could barely move his arms and legs.

"Wh…what? What the fuck?" Frank groaned. He looked around and saw Sheldon and Peter.

"Jesus Christ, he's awake already?" Sheldon growled. "Did you soak that rag enough?"

Sheldon grabbed the chloroform bottle and rag from Peter's hands.

"Sheldon? Peter? Untie me, you assholes," Frank recognized them. He squinted his eyes and laughed. "This is a little too kinky for you two, don't you think?"

"Shut the fuck up, Bowers," Sheldon barked.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Frank asked, angrily watching the two men.

"You fucking know why," Sheldon growled. "Something we should've done years ago."

Frank closed his eyes and then looked down at the floor, thinking. Then he looked back up at them in realization.

"This is about Merrick?" Frank scoffed. "You two shitheads are still butt-hurt about that piece of garbage?"

"He was our friend, Bowers!" Peter yelped. "You fucking murdered him, and you ain't even in prison!"

"Blame the damn system," Frank spat. "That fucker got what he deserved."

Sheldon punched Frank across the face. Frank grunted, spat the blood from his mouth.

"Ouch," Frank said. He laughed mockingly.

"And so will you," Sheldon said.

"Someone's gonna… find us here any minute… and you two are screwed," Frank said, wincing.

"Your boys won't find you until Monday," Sheldon said. "That's if you survive until then."

"Thank God for fucking weekends," Peter giggled.

"Time to get Max," Sheldon said. "And Rachel too."

Sheldon winked at Frank.

Frank looked up at Sheldon and tilted his head in confusion, unsure if he heard Sheldon say "Rachel" correctly.

"What?" Frank said, almost whimpering. "Rachel? What are you talking about?"

"That's right, Bowers," Sheldon said, pulling his gun from his pocket. He waved it to Frank. "We're gonna kill 'em."

"Rachel's alive, you dumb shit," Peter mocked, giggling. "This whole time, and you didn't even know you're stupid girlfriend was alive."

"That's… you're fucking lying…" Frank said, his eyes watering. "She died—"

"That's what you thought," Sheldon hissed. "Sorry, man. We're going to fuck her up. Right… in… front of you."

"No…" Frank wept.

"I mean, people already think she's dead," Sheldon said, waving his arms in the air. He placed his gun back in his pocket. "What difference would it make?"

"NO!" Frank screamed.

"Come on, Peter," Sheldon nodded to Peter.

Peter grasped Frank's head to keep it still while Sheldon held the rag to his nose and mouth. Frank screamed loudly and tried to wiggle.

"Shut the FUCK up!" Sheldon said. Then he stood back and punched Frank across his face again, this time knocking him out.

Sheldon and Peter sighed in relief.

"For fuck sake, Peter, why didn't you tape his mouth shut?" Sheldon barked.

They taped Frank's mouth shut, wrapping the tape around the back of his head and back. They stood there catching their breaths in silence.

"The girls won't be at the cemetery until 10 o'clock," Sheldon said.

"The cemetery?" Peter asked, puzzled.

"They're gonna visit their dead friend," Sheldon said. "That Max chick does it every year on this day. We'll be on their tail around that time."

"Shit. You know a lot about this town more than I do," Peter chuckled.

Sheldon shook his head. He glanced at his watch and back up at Peter.

"You hungry?" He asked.

 **§§§**

Max awoke to Rachel kissing her neck.

Max opened her eyes slowly, dazed by what was going on. The sun was rising and light was slowly trickling through the windows. The sound of the alarm clock playing music was heard.

Rachel smiled as she continued to kiss Max's neck and chest.

"Am I… dreaming?" Max half-joked. She propped herself up onto her elbows. She kissed Rachel and giggled sheepishly. "What a damn nice way to wake up… Good morning."

"G'morning," Rachel responded. She lied on her side next to Max. They lied in silence, letting the sounds of the morning slowly and blissfully wake them up.

"Rachel… What happened last night... almost happened," Max began. "I really hope it didn't bother—"

"—It didn't... I promise," Rachel said. "But why don't we… finish what we started?"

Max bit her lower lip, contemplating. She had goosebumps and her stomach twirled.

"Yeah?" Max, now fully awake, asked. She smiled and kissed Rachel, placing a hand on Rachel's cheek.

"Yeah," Rachel sighed.

"Okay," Max said softly.

They kissed for several moments, the sounds of their kisses, their soft moans, and the music filled the room.

"Hm," Max said softly, her heart racing. "We're gonna have to keep it down."

Rachel giggled.

"That will be a challenge," Rachel said. She slipped her hand inside Max's shirt, gently caressing her stomach and waist. "For you at least."

" _Eyes in the Sun"_ by Florist played softly on the radio, the sound of the gentle acoustic guitar was heard.

 _~Do you believe in me and what we say?  
_ _Do you want to join the road of my life?~_

Max sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her body warm up, feeling Rachel's body pressed against hers as they kissed.

Rachel sat up and straddled Max. Max sat up and lifted Rachel's shirt off of her, kissing Rachel's stomach and her breasts, then Rachel's lips. Rachel slipped Max's shirt off, and they lied back down.

 _~It's been a while, but I'm not afraid,  
_ _Of the things that make me feel something big.~_

Max pulled away from Rachel's kiss. She looked into Rachel's eyes. She felt her heart pound in her chest.

"Rachel," Max said. They both were panting.

"Yeah?" Rachel replied.

" _I think I'm in love with you,"_ Max thought, nervous to say it out loud, but absolutely meaning it. Max smiled and looked away from Rachel.

 _~Like looking at your eyes in the sun.  
_ _Like looking at your eyes in the dark.~_

"What is it?" Rachel smiled.

"Nothing," Max looked back at Rachel and kissed her, holding her tightly.

This time Rachel pulls away.

 _~Can you see the stars in your dreams?  
_ _And do they have a lot to say about me?~_

Rachel looks down at Max again as she hovers over her.

"I think love you too," Rachel said shyly. She blushed.

Max furrowed her eyebrows. "But I didn't say—"

"—You didn't have to," Rachel interrupted. They smiled for a moment, regarding each other, letting what Rachel had just said sink in. Then they kissed.

Max grasped Rachel's body as she turned them over, this time Max was on top of Rachel. They laugh softly and kiss. Max slipped Rachel's bottoms off. Rachel sighed as Max caressed her inner thigh.

 _~I speak to the trees before I sleep,  
_ _And I can hear you whisper back to me.~_

Soon, Max and Rachel are completely naked. Their lips and warm bodies pressed against each other's. Max felt the smooth friction of her skin against Rachel's. Their lips parted and met slowly, softly, and then intensely.

 _~I want to know what it means,  
_ _I need to know what it means to be alive.~_

Their bodies toss and turn in bed. They ran their fingers through each other's hair. Their breathing growing harder and faster. Their hands caressing each other's shoulders, chest, arms, thighs, and backs. They kissed each other's lips, cheek, neck, and breasts. They straddled each other's thighs, gently meeting and kneading against each other continuously, synchronized.

The soft sounds of their kisses, heavy breathing, and occasional small moans blended with the music. Max and Rachel had nothing else in mind. They were living in that moment, and they did not want it to stop.

Max, lying over Rachel, slowly traced her hand down Rachel's abdomen, her inner thigh, and then in between, feeling Rachel for several moments. Rachel's back arched from Max's touch and she gasped.

 _~I think I know what that means,  
_ _I know I know what that means when you're in my life.~_

Max lowered herself, doing the same of her hand with her lips. She kissed Rachel's stomach, her inner thigh, and softly in between.

Rachel grasped the bed sheets with one hand and placed her hand on Max's shoulder below, and let out a soft moan…

 **§§§**

Max and Rachel were getting dressed for the day, for the plan to visit Chloe's grave at the cemetery to pay respects on her death anniversary.

They had just taken a shower, a quite similar sneaking situation as the other day, except Joyce did not enter the bathroom this time… and this time, Max and Rachel showered together.

Max sat down in bed as Rachel dried her hair with Chloe's hair dryer. Max peered at the shelf by the bed and looked at the photo of Rachel and Chloe who was flipping the bird. She smiles.

" _I have to tell Rachel about my photo jump powers,"_ Max thinks to herself. She placed the photo in her coat pocket.

Max ruffles through her messenger bag and finds her analog Polaroid camera. Rachel turns off the hair dryer and turns around to look at Max.

"Oh hey! You got your camera out!" Rachel says. "You know, I haven't seen you take one photo at all this whole time I've been with you."

"I guess I haven't had the time," Max replies.

Rachel turns back around to brush her hair and place her blue feathered earring on her left ear.

" _I wonder…"_ Max thought.

Max stood up and walked toward Chloe's mirror. She held the camera in front of her to take a mirror selfie. She presses down on the shutter button.

With a click and flash of the camera, a Polaroid photo slowly ejects from the film ejection slot. Max grasps the picture and, by habit, waves it around to dry—even though she since learned that she did not have to.

Max nervously held onto the Polaroid photo until it was fully developed, running what she was about to do in her head.

"You taking photos without me, Caulfield?" Rachel joked. "Should've taken a few when we were… you know…"

Max chuckled. "I was just making sure this thing still worked."

Max sat back down in bed. Rachel was busying herself with applying some light make-up. Max saw that the Polaroid photo of her mirror selfie was completely developed.

" _Okay, I have to try it…"_ Max pondered.

She grasped the photo in her hand, concentrating hard. She thought about the time she photo jumped for the first time… it was a photo of her and Chloe when they were about 13 years old.

" _Just focus, Max,"_ Max said to herself.

As she stared into the photo, she could see that her vision was fading, that everything was glowing and fading to white.

" _Yes! Just a little more!"_ Max concentrated.

Soon, Max felt herself blinded and sucked away from this world. With the sound of the click and flash of the camera, the world faded from white and color settled again. She felt herself sucked back into the world. She blinked several times.

There she was, standing in front of Chloe's mirror, holding her camera. The same Polaroid photo she took moments ago slowly ejected from the film ejection slot.

Max gasped, dumbfounded that it worked. She stared at herself in the mirror, expecting to see a trickle of blood run from her nose. Her nose remained clean, and her head felt fine.

" _Well, shit,"_ Max thought. _"I still got it!"_

"You taking photos without me, Caulfield?" Rachel joked. "Should've taken a few when we were… you know…"

Max turned around, realizing Rachel said the same thing she had said earlier.

"Uh, I…" Max began nervously. "I was just making sure it still worked."

Max saw that Rachel had busied herself with applying some light make-up, just as before. Max shuddered and felt that chilling feeling one gets when they experience déjà vu, except it really happened.

Max smiled to herself knowing that she still had the power to photo jump and that nothing horrible had happened.

She placed the mirror selfie photo into her pocket.

 **§§§**

Max and Rachel made their way to the junkyard, Rachel driving this time. Rachel had begged Max to let her drive Chloe's truck, telling Max that she was feeling antsy and had not driven in ages. Plus, Rachel wanted to change things up. They arrived at the junkyard and Rachel turned off the engine.

"See? I didn't kill us," Rachel joked. She had a slice of buttered toast in her hand. "You never forget how to drive."

"You didn't signaled when you changed lanes!" Max yelped, also with a slice of buttered toast. "And it's not safe to eat and drive!"

"Like any car was behind me anyway!" Rachel replied, munching on the toast.

They laughed.

"We can chill here until the cemetery opens at 10," Max said, glancing at the time on her phone. "It's barely 8."

"Fine with me," Rachel said. They hopped out of Chloe's truck, finished their toasts, and head toward the hideout with Max leading the way. "Hey Caulfield?"

"Yeah… Amber?" Max turned around, sheepishly. "Okay, no, I'm not calling you Amber. That's weird."

"Yeah, don't do that again," Rachel said sarcastically. "Or you'll have a roundhouse kick to the face."

They chuckle. Rachel holds Max's hand.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from your vacation here," Rachel says softly. "I know I kind of appeared out of nowhere. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Max replied. She hugs Rachel. "I'm glad we finally met."

"Me too," Rachel said.

They walked to the hideout and settled in, half-expecting teens hanging out inside, but there were none. They were alone.

Rachel slumped herself onto a bean bag inside. She grabbed an old magazine from one of the shelves.

Max sat at the benches. Her hands were in her pockets. She felt the folded photo of Rachel and Chloe, and the mirror selfie photo, in one of her pockets. She took her Polaroid camera out from her bag. She stared at it for several moments while Rachel hummed to herself.

" _It's time to tell Rachel…"_ Max thought. _"I have to tell her… to SHOW her… my photo jump powers…"_

Max looked up at Rachel and then back down at her camera. She sighed.

" _Okay,"_ Max thought.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

IT finally happened! I tried not to write it in a way that was gratuitous or explicit. Their first experience together was totally meant to be sweet and not raunchy.

I lowkey have definitely thought about writing explicit content, whether it is Life is Strange or another fandom I am really into. Perhaps as time permits, I shall!

Currently laughing at my sappy-indie-music-loving hipster self and what I consider to be ideal music to make love to. Please stay tuned for the next update! Peace!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes:**

Finally! A new chapter! I should remind everyone that I have not given up on this story! Chapters and updates will continue, but with my busy nursing school schedule, the wait between chapters may be long and at random dates. I apologize! Regardless, thank you for continuing to read this story, leaving kudos, and posting comments! :) 3

 **Chapter Seventeen**

"Rachel, I need to tell you something," Max's voice was low, but serious.

"What's up?" Rachel, still sitting on the bean bag, glanced up at Max from the magazine.

"You've witnessed my time-rewind powers… and time-stopping powers too," Max continued. "But there's another ability that I have."

"I'm starting to think that this is a superpower competition, Caulfield," Rachel joked, unaffected by the thought of another ability Max has yet to reveal. "What else you got? Manipulating the vibration of atoms at the subatomic level to alter their movements, which allows you to phase through objects and walls?"

"I… Wait. What?" Max raised her eyebrows, some-what impressed by Rachel's statement. "That doesn't… That's probably the most science-fiction-y thing you've ever said to me."

They laugh. Max pauses.

"Wait. You're into Kitty Pryde?" Max asks.

"Kitty? Pride? That sounds really, really gay," Rachel chuckles, looking down at the magazine and turning a page.

"What you said! That's totally Shadowcat's power from X-Men!" Max exclaims.

"Huh? Well, it's probably some random fun fact that Chloe randomly told me that's left in my subconscious," Rachel points to her head and laughs. "You both are geeks."

Max smiles, then closes her eyes. Her face immediately changing from amused and back to serious. Rachel, noticing the silence, looks up and frowns, realizing that Max seems perturbed.

"I'm sorry, Max," Rachel says softly, she stands up slowly from the bean bag. "I didn't mean to change the subject. What other ability are you talking about?"

Max looked down at her Polaroid camera, tracing her forefinger on the shutter button, then back up at Rachel. She sighs sharply.

"I can jump into photos," Max answered. "Like, actually enter the universe and time-space continuum within the photos."

"You mean like Blue's Clues?" Rachel joked. "Or like Harry Potter?"

"Actually… yeah, I guess," Max chuckled, laughing at Rachel's joke and the fact that Rachel can still joke around even when she is trying to be serious. "Yes to Blue's Clues, and no to Harry Potter. I can jump in the photo and interact with the people and things within the photo."

"Well, go on," Rachel said. She placed the magazine back onto the shelf. She walked from the across the hideout and sat beside Max on the bench. "Are you going to explain—or, or demonstrate it?"

"I can basically jump into any photo—a photo that I took myself or that I'm in—and then… interact within the photo," Max said. "And live within that reality."

"A photo that you took yourself… or that you're in…" Rachel repeated Max's words and pondered curiously. "So wait. Have you not tried jumping into photos you didn't take or that you're not in?"

"Well… no," Max said. "Because it doesn't work like that. It won't work."

"But have you seriously tried?" Rachel prodded more.

"I'm unable to pass the 'photographic bounds,'" Max continued.

"The what?" Rachel raised one eyebrow.

"Like, the areas in the environment in the photo that are out of focus or not directly within the photo," Max responded. "If I take a photo of us here in this hideout, then jump into that photo, I can't just jump in Chloe's truck and drive off. I wouldn't be able to venture off. It doesn't work like that."

"I see," Rachel nodded. "You mean, you haven't gotten it to work yet, right?"

"Based on my experience, I'm pretty sure I can't jump into photos that I didn't take or that I'm not in," Max continued. "And I can't leave passed the photographic bounds…"

"So, it's never been done?" Rachel asked. "Ever been curious to try?"

"If I tried, I'm sure some crazy shit would happen," Max answered. "If I do something that is not meant to happen—like me saving Chloe—the universe can be screwed up again."

They remained silent for a moment.

" _Why hadn't I thought of trying?"_ Max thought to herself. _"Why have I never thought about jumping into someone else's photo? Well, duh! …It's hella risky."_

"Well, when you're ready—and if your body can handle it—show me," Rachel continued.

"I tried it out this power this morning, actually," Max said. She took out the mirror selfie Polaroid photo from this morning out of her pocket. She showed it to Rachel. "I took this in front of the mirror, then sat back down on the bed a minute later. Then when I focused on the photo, I was able to jump back to the _exact_ moment I took the photo… _right_ in front of the mirror."

"That's hella wild, man," Rachel exclaimed. She looked at Max, studying her face. "But… you're okay, right? I didn't see your nose bleeding earlier or anything out of the ordinary."

"Yes, I'm okay. No nose bleeding that time, no," Max answered. "My photo jump powers worked effortlessly, surprisingly. And I wanted to show them to you."

"The stage is yours, Max," Rachel smiled. "Anything insane can happen any moment, and I wouldn't be fazed."

Max was feeling fine and confident until this moment. The thought of photo jumping made her heart race and anxious, even having done it once today already.

The last time she photo jumped for an extremely difficult decision was to return back to the time she took the photo of the butterfly in the girls' bathroom at Blackwell Academy…

It was the moment Chloe had been shot and killed by Nathan… The thought of her photo jumping again had traumatized Max throughout these years…

But she knew she had to show Rachel… for whatever reason, the universe was telling her to…

Max sighed, closed her eyes, and focused.

"Okay, I'm going to take a photo of us here in this hideout," Max explained. "We'll walk outside the hideout, I'll focus on the photo, and then—if it doesn't fail, we'll be back here."

"Sounds good," Rachel nodded. "Will I… witness this power, or will our consciousness be in separate realities?"

"I guess there's one way to find out," Max muttered nervously.

Max held her Polaroid camera upward and out in front of them with the lens facing her and Rachel. Rachel wrapped her arms around Max's waist and held her close.

A cool morning breeze drifted through the hideout. Max's and Rachel's hair gently swayed. Max held her breath and smiled nervously at the lens. Rachel smiled nervously as well, feeling how tense Max's body felt. Max braced herself.

Max pressed the shutter button.

§§§

 _Click. Flash._

The Polaroid photo developed and ejected from the slot.

As the white layer of film slowly developed into a distinct photo, Max held her breath. They glanced at the photo. Rachel burst into laughter.

"Wow," Rachel snickered. "That is the most awful selfie ever!"

Max looked at the photo and laughed herself.

"It looks like… we're holding in our farts or something," Rachel joked.

"So much for our first photo together," Max sighed. She looked up at Rachel and smiled. "Well, I like it."

Rachel caught her breath. "Okay, what's next?"

"If we're going to jump from our current reality into _this_ photo's reality, it's better if we start at a different location," Max said. She placed her Polaroid camera onto the table. "Just for perspective. Let's walk out the hideout."

"Alright," Rachel said. They walked out of the hideout into a clearing at the center of the junkyard, the same clearing where they had practiced breaking beer bottles and time-rewinding.

Rachel held Max's hand.

"I know we didn't need to hold hands and you don't need to touch me for me to witness your time-stopping powers," Rachel said. "But I just felt like we might need to for the photo jump. You never know."

Max paused to ponder.

"Sure, fair enough," Max nodded. "Better certain than not."

Max held the Polaroid selfie of her and Rachel in front of her with one hand; her other hand intertwined with Rachel's. Rachel looked down at the Polaroid photo as well.

"Ready when you are, Caulfield," Rachel said. She kissed Max's lips softly. "A kiss for good luck."

Max smiled for a moment. Then she closed her eyes and blinked to clear her vision. She felt Rachel's grip on her hand tighten.

"I'm hella ready," Max said.

Max concentrated at the photo, staring at every detail: Rachel's smile, the floor of the hideout, the walls, her hair, the clothes they were wearing, the edges of the photo, everything...

As she stared more deeply the photo, she could see that the photo was alternating between blurry and focused. Her vision was fading into a glow. Max concentrated more.

"Whoa," Rachel sighed. "I can feel my body being…"

"…Sucked out of this world?" Max added.

"Yeah…" Rachel said. "And I hear… our voices."

Everything faded to white. Max and Rachel felt the pulling sensation as they were transferred from one reality to the reality of the Polaroid photo in the hideout. They squinted their eyes from the blinding light.

Then the familiar sound of a click and flash of the camera was heard. Pure white light and blindness. Soon, the color of their surroundings returned. Max felt herself back into her body.

Max glanced around her. They were no longer outside of the hideout. They were back inside the hideout with Max holding her Polaroid camera out and up in front of them.

Max looked at the Polaroid photo that ejected from the camera. It slowly developed to the same photo that was taken moments earlier.

Then she noticed that Rachel was no longer holding her hand or right beside her.

She glanced at the ground. Rachel was lying on the floor, motionless. She was not breathing. Max placed the Polaroid photo and her camera on the ground.

"RACHEL!" Max screams.

Max knelt to the floor, holding the back of Rachel's neck and propping Rachel onto herself. Blood was trickling from both nostrils of Rachel's nose. Rachel was sweating and her skin was growing pale. She was still warm.

Max grabbed the Polaroid photo again, trying to concentrate on the photo, trying to concentrate on jumping back to the moment before she took the photo, but she was having difficulty focusing. Her head was beginning to throb. Her vision was blurring by the tears forming in her eyes. Her body started to feel weak. Her heart raced in her chest.

"Shit! No no no no no!" Max yelped, shaking the still and non-breathing Rachel. "I shouldn't have done this. She couldn't take all of this!"

Max felt Rachel's body grow cold and her face looking paler. She set Rachel's head down, lifted Rachel's chin, and began CPR for several moments.

"Please don't die, Rachel!" Max cried. Tears rolled from eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm so stupid!"

Max performed chest compressions on Rachel and puffed two gasps of air into Rachel's mouth alternatively. Max's arms were starting to grow tired and she was breathing hard. She cried.

" _What have I done?!"_ Max thought. _"What went wrong?! Please be okay, Rachel!"_

Rachel lied motionless still. Max was breathing heavily and held her right arm out while holding the Polaroid photo with her other hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to clear her vision. She concentrated, trying to reverse time—and tried to focus on the photo, to the moment before she attempted to photo-jump.

Max reached into her pocket and held the other Polaroid photo out, the mirror selfie she took earlier this morning. She concentrated on that photo, too, hoping it would work. But Max felt the throbbing pain in her head grow stronger, breaking her concentration.

"ARGH!" Max groaned loudly. She grasped her head. She felt trickles of blood running down her nose. "Fucking shit!"

Max's body felt heavy. She tried to reverse time again, but her head felt the pain more intensely. She could not do it. She could not reverse time, and she could not revive Rachel. She winced and cried in pain.

"God damn it!" Max yelled. She extended her arm out in another attempt to reverse time. It was not working. Her powers were not working.

Max continued to perform more chest compressions and deliver more puffs of air into Rachel's mouth, but it was futile.

As Max's body felt heavier and heavier, her head pounded harder and harder. She was starting to grow dizzy. Her compressions were weaker and slower. She was growing tired.

"Stay… stay with me…" Max moaned. She grasped her aching head. "Stay with me, Rachel."

Soon, Max's body flopped onto the floor, lying right beside Rachel. She glanced at Rachel's face right next to hers. Max's eyes closed weakly.

"No…" Max sighed. "Rachel…"

And everything faded to white.

§§§

Max saw a blinding flash and felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She looked around. The white light trickled into a colorful surrounding. She saw trees around her, a water tower, and heard the sounds of a train rolling along a train track.

"You sure you don't want to just grab the bus, or..." Said a familiar voice said nearby. Max's ears perked up.

" _I… I know that voice,"_ Max thought. Her vision was still slowly focusing. She blinked several times. She no longer felt her head in pain or the heaviness in her body. She felt... fine, like nothing was out of the ordinary. Only, she knew it was.

Max turned around. She saw two girls standing side to side, looking at the train rolling by.

"Nope, if we're gonna go rogue, we're doing it right," the other girl said. It was Rachel Amber, Max recognized her voice, but she was younger. The girl who spoke first standing next to Rachel looked familiar to Max. She observed her short brown hair, tall and slender build, and then Max gasped at the realization.

" _CHLOE?!"_ Max thought. _"She's... younger too... Where am I? And when am I? Is this real?"_

"H-hey!" Max shouted. She paced forward, but young Chloe and young Rachel did not turn around. "Huh? They... they can't see me... or hear me..."

Max watched as Rachel jogged toward the train.

"Well?" Rachel turned around to Chloe with her arms open.

The two girls ran toward the train tracks. Rachel hopped onto an open carriage of the train, and Chloe followed suit.

Max ran and hopped on the train as well, still confused as to why she was here... and why they could not see nor hear her.

" _Is this a dream? A vision?"_ Max thought. _"Everything feels… real."_

"Where does this thing go?" Chloe asked as Rachel helped her stand up.

"North? Maybe we'll end up in Seattle," Rachel responded.

Max felt a pang in her heart.

" _This... this must be... at least 7 or 8 years ago..."_ Max thought, observing Chloe's and Rachel's faces, based on how young they looked. _"This was when I was in Seattle..."_

Rachel sat down on several pallets in the carriage. "Pull up a chair, Price. The view's amazing."

Chloe stared into the Oregon woods and mountains zooming passed them. Chloe's phone in her pocket vibrated and she took it out. She was texting someone.

" _Whoever texted her was definitely not me…"_ Max thought guiltily. _"Rarely did I ever text Chloe… Or called…"_

Chloe placed her phone back in her pocket and finally moved a crate in front of Rachel. She sat down.

Rachel and Chloe remained silent. Even Max could sense the tension. Max could not help but smile at how nervous Chloe was.

" _Alright, Chloe. You're on a freaking train with Rachel freaking Amber. Play it cool."_ Max shook her head in confusion. It was Chloe's voice speaking inside her head!

" _Is this...nervousness? Is that what this feeling is?"_ Chloe's voice continued. Max felt a warm feeling rush through her body as Chloe's thoughts were shared with her. _"Wish Max were here, so I could ask."_

Max's heart skipped a beat. She smiled. Tears of joy and sadness slowly formed in her eyes.

" _Just be you, Chloe!"_ Max thought, hoping Chloe could hear her, realizing how much she misses Chloe. _"It always works."_

"It's nice Rachel we're having," Chloe finally said awkwardly. She flinched embarrassingly.

Rachel chuckled. "What?"

"—I mean, weather! It's nice weather!" Chloe responded nervously.

Max burst into laughter. She was so glad that Chloe and Rachel could not actually hear or see her. It warmed Max's heart seeing Chloe be her silly self again.

"It sure is…" Rachel said. "So... it's kind of weird that we're hanging out."

"You mean because I don't hang out with anyone and I don't have any friends?" Chloe responded stoically.

Max looked down guiltily. During the years living in Seattle, Max always thought about how Chloe was doing... at school, at home, if she was making any friends... especially after Max left after Chloe's father died... It killed Max everyday knowing that she could not be there for Chloe in Arcadia Bay while she was in Seattle.

"You have friends," Rachel responded.

"Well, I used to. Friend, singular," Chloe said softly. "Her name is Max, but she left for greener, more northern pastures."

Max could hear how hurt Chloe felt as she said that. Even Rachel sensed it. Max closed her eyes, letting a tear fall.

" _I'm so sorry, Chloe,"_ Max thought.

"That sucks," Rachel said.

They remained silent again.

"I bet you're wondering what we're doing," Rachel leaned forward, smiling.

"The thought occurred, yeah," Chloe said.

"Well..." Rachel looked out to the trees and mountains. "I wanted some company."

"That's it?" Chloe asked.

"That's it," Rachel replied. She smiled kindly at Chloe.

Max smiled too, more tears falling down her cheeks.

A familiar sensation ran through her body. It was warm, calming, and comforting, almost telling her something.

" _This must be the moment they became friends…"_ Max thought. _"The moment their friendship… and relationship… started."_

"Try again," Chloe said, not believing Rachel. "I'm going to need more to go on than that."

"Joy rides with me aren't fun?" Rachel challenged.

"Joy rides to where, again?" Chloe blinked.

"Life needs a little mystery, Chloe," Rachel said coyly.

Chloe looked out the carriage again.

With that last statement from Rachel, Max felt chills running through her body.

Then Max's surroundings were blurring again. She could not hear what Rachel and Chloe were saying anymore as they continued to sit in the train. Everything was being drained of color and fading into white. She felt her body being pulled away. A blinding flash lit around her.

§§§

 _Click. Flash._

Max blinked. She looked around. She was back in the hideout… back in 2018, Sunday, October 7th… back with Rachel standing beside her.

"Rachel!" Max gasped. She turned to hug Rachel tightly.

"Whoa, Max!" Rachel grunted. "You're shaking."

Max pulled away, tears streaming from her eyes.

The Polaroid photo developed and ejected from the slot. It fell slowly to the floor like a leaf from a tree. Max placed her Polaroid camera on the table.

"You're okay!" Max exclaimed. She held Rachel close.

"Yeah, I'm fine, dude. Are you?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Max took several moments to catch her breath. She looked down at the Polaroid photo on the floor, closed her eyes, and shook her head.

"We… we tried to photo jump together as planned. We took a selfie, went outside the hideout, photo-jumped back here," Max began. "And it worked, but…"

Max sat down on the floor, needing to collect and steady herself, and her hands still trembling. Rachel knelt down beside her.

"Go on, Max," Rachel said, gently caressing Max's face, placing Max's hair behind her ear.

"It worked," Max muttered shakily. "But you died…"

"I died?" Rachel asked concerned.

"Your nose was bleeding and you weren't breathing! I tried CPR! I knew I should've paid more attention during that stupid class last year! But it was a lot harder than doing it on a fucking mannequin!" Max said without catching her breath. "I was so stupid! I shouldn't have done that! We shouldn't have photo-jumped! I… I hurt you! I was so fucking stupid! I could have lost you! And—"

"—Whoa! Whoa! Max!" Rachel placed her hands on Max's shoulders, reassuring Max. "It's okay! I'm here! I'm fine. We're fine."

Max's breathing slowed down. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. Her hands were shaking less.

"My powers were malfunctioning… I tried to reverse time, but everything hurt…" Max continued, gasping occasionally. "I couldn't do anything and you were dead… Nothing worked, and then I passed out, and then…"

Max stopped.

"I was on a train," Max said softly.

"A train?" Rachel asked.

"With you…" Max continued. She bit her lip, steadying her voice. "And with Chloe."

"Wait. How?" Rachel asked. "Was this… a vision?"

"I don't think so," Max said. "You guys were younger…"

"Younger?" Rachel continued.

"It's nice Rachel we're having," Max quoted Chloe. She looked into Rachel's eyes.

"What?" Rachel chuckled, shaking her head.

"It's nice Rachel we're having," Max repeated. "It's what Chloe said on the train… and you two were going… north, I think? You two hopped on a train by the water tower."

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but she paused to think. Then she closed her eyes and shook her head. Max could have sworn tears were forming in Rachel's eyes.

"Well shit. That was… back in 2010," Rachel began. "We ditched school to go to Overlook Park. It was… the day I realized I liked Chloe… when our lives changed forever… when I discovered my powers…"

"Shit…" Max asked. "The time you kicked a burning trash can, screamed, and caused the wind to grow stronger and the fire to burn endlessly…?"

"Yeah, that was the day," Rachel said.

"So… so it really happened?" Max asked. "I wasn't just having a vision?"

"No… it sounds like you traveled back in time," Rachel said. "However that happened…"

"But that doesn't make sense," Max shook her head. "I was nowhere near those train tracks, there was no photo there to photo-jump to, and I didn't even try to turn back time that far back—"

"—But you tried to reverse time regardless," Rachel added. "When I… died just now… you tried to reverse time. And you did."

"Well, yeah, but…" Max said. She stood up, pondering. "Why to that exact moment?"

They looked down and around them thinking for a moment in silence. Another cool breeze blew through the hideout. The sound of leaves rustling on trees and birds chirping outside was heard.

"It's like what I said, Max," Rachel said, standing up as well, speaking her mind of a realization.

"What?" Max asked.

"The universe is telling us and guiding us that we are meant to be here in this specific time, at this specific location, and specifically with each other," Rachel said. "Or whatever I said yesterday…"

Rachel paused for a moment, shrugging her shoulders.

"Maybe you were meant to be there with us at that train. Maybe the three of us were meant to be together," Rachel continued. "That's why you and I are here together—we were brought here together. That's why you had that… vision… that flashback. The universe is trying to keep us together somehow. And it must have to do with our powers."

"Our powers brought you and I together," Max said, thinking out loud. "When I reversed time, it brought me back to the day _you_ got _your_ powers."

"Exactly," Rachel said. "Like some weird superpower reunion."

"Everything happens for a reason," Max said softly. "Destiny."

They paused in silence again. Rachel glanced at the Polaroid photo on the floor. She picked it up and burst into laughter.

"Wow," Rachel snickered. "That is the most awful selfie ever!"

Max laughed, trying not to look at the photo much in fear that she would accidentally enter the photo's reality again, still shaken by almost losing Rachel.

"It looks like… we're holding in our farts or something," Rachel joked, saying the exact same thing she said before.

Max's smile faded when she glanced at her watch. _9:31 AM._

" _How has time flown by so quickly?"_ Max asked herself.

"We should head to the cemetery," Max said to Rachel. "Let's pick up some flowers and beer first."

"Alright," Rachel said. "Wait. Beer?"

"You'll see," Max replied with a smile.

Max picked up her Polaroid camera from the table. They walked out the hideout silently and hopped in Chloe's truck.

Max started the engine and sighed. They both sat and glanced at each other, listening to radio play and the engine roar. The song _"Bed Case"_ by Tancred played on the radio, oddly calming Max despite the indie grunge-y guitar riffs and power chords.

 _~I remember touching down.  
_ _I remember the smell and the sound.  
_ _White flowers in the parking lot.  
_ _With you, I remember quite a lot.~_

Rachel handed Max the Polaroid selfie with a smile, and Max placed it in the pocket of her coat.

 _~These days, I've become quite the bed case.  
_ _Feel like I'm five-by-five.  
_ _Do I want to save the world or just cut out its insides?~_

Max began to drive toward the liquor store on the way to the cemetery, leaving the junk yard. Rachel was bobbing her head up and down to the music.

 _~You make me feel like God,  
_ _Even when I'm down below.  
_ _You make me feel so good.  
_ _I think I'm gonna blow.~_

The roads were still quite empty this Sunday morning, Max noticed. They were going to arrive at the liquor store then cemetery in no time.

 _~You look like California.  
_ _Take me there, take me there.  
_ _You put me in a coma.  
_ _But I don't scare, I don't scare~_

Max sang along loudly, banging her fingertips on the steering wheel like a drum set, and Rachel chuckled.

 _~You make me feel like God,  
_ _Even when I'm down below.  
_ _You make me feel so good.  
_ _I think I'm gonna blow.~_

As the song finally ended, Max's throat tightened, unsure if it was from singing loudly and catching her breath… or if it was the thought in her mind that made her nervous. She shuddered at the thought of Rachel dying again.

 _To be continued…_

 **End Notes:**

That one flashback/famous scene, as we fans know, was from Life Is Strange: Before the Storm – Episode 1: Awake. Thank you for continuing to read! Much love and appreciation!


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